


Taekwoon and the year of Quidditch

by MegaLia



Series: VIXX goes to Hogwarts [2]
Category: K-pop, VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Quidditch, Taekwoon likes to hide under his bed, pre-neo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:56:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23001742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaLia/pseuds/MegaLia
Summary: Taekwoon finds a new love in the form of Quidditch!
Relationships: Cha Hakyeon | N/Jung Taekwoon | Leo
Series: VIXX goes to Hogwarts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1476671
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my second installment of the VIXX goes to Hogwarts Verse. 
> 
> While I've got most of the story down there's still like 1/3 of it left but I just couldn't wait to upload it >.>  
> Therefore this one is going to be divided into Chapters. That also makes it easier to read I think, because I've got roughly 18000 Words down already and am still not finished ^^' 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the ride and would love to hear what you think in the comments. Obviously kudos are also welcomed ^w^

It was quarter to 11 am and Taekwoon's nerves were on fire as he stood admits the masses of Platform 9¾. This time though it wasn't as unpleasant as the first year. Sure there were still _way_ too many people for Taekwoon's taste but at least he wasn't completely lost in despair. Only a bit. Hogwarts was still a horribly dangerous institution to send your kids to, in Taekwoon's opinion.

His sisters school for example was almost taken down because the building wasn't safe enough. Okay well the building was old, not properly insulated, the doors didn't close anymore and one of the students broke through the stairs. _But!_ In Hogwarts the stairs were literally moving and they had a forest full of dangerous creatures just outside the school. Not to mention the giant squid in the lake and the tree that would punch anyone that came to close to it. You can't seriously say that _that_ was a safe space for students, right?

Still Taekwoon thought that this year would be, if not great, at least bearable. Here are the reasons why:

  1. _Hakyeon._




Hakyeon was a god sent gift. Seriously, ever since they had talked about their situation they spent so much time together. Alone or with their housemates didn't matter. Hakyeon just made it better with his warm and friendly nature as well as his bone deep understanding. Everyone deserved a second chance in Hakyeon's opinion and he always gave everyone the right to explain themselves if they did something to wrong him. Seriously, Hakyeon was great and a huge reason why Hogwarts wouldn't be horrible this year.

  1. _His Transfiguration skills had improved immensely._




This point was contributed to by Hakyeon as well. During the summer holidays the two of them would spend loads of time at each others houses. This also meant that Taekwoon could practice his magic with Hakyeon. And practice they did. Once Hakyeon heard of Taekwoon's disastrous Transfiguration skills he made it his personal task to tutor Taekwoon. Other than Taekwoon, Hakyeon was actually quite decent in Transfiguration. So every few days they'd meet up in order to practice and look what happened: Taekwoon was able to do almost all of the basic transformation work a first year should know. The only problem was transforming living animals. Taekwoon just couldn't do that. He couldn't turn his precious Shadow into a goblet or anything, that was just cruel. Other than that though he was getting the hang of it.

  1. _Quidditch_




If there was one thing Taekwoon could do all the time it would be sports. He didn't care what kind of sport. Be it Tennis, Volleyball, Swimming, Fencing or something else, Taekwoon had probably tried it at one point or another. Next to food and music, sport was a sure way for Taekwoon to get rid of his anxieties. It was so freeing because during sport he could feel like a completely normal person and not some hyper sensitive idiot. Well not idiot, because his therapist had told him to not degrade himself and he really tried to abide to her suggestions.

Anyway, Taekwoon loves sport is what was important and Hogwarts could probably give him that instead of music. Taekwoon had heard about Quidditch before. You could not _not_ notice it with everything going on around the game. All the games between houses and everyone talking about it. Taekwoon just never gave it any thought because at that time he had other problems to worry about. Also he couldn't watch games because he was still too overwhelmed with everything and hundreds of cheering and screaming students was way too much. Oddly enough Taekwoon never minded crowds when he wasn't part of them but instead playing the game they were cheering for. He had once participated in a game of football at his old school during sports day. There weren't hundred of students present but there were enough over enthusiastic parents cheering for their kids. It didn't bother Taekwoon as much as he thought it would. Probably because he could focus on the game and forget everything around it.

During the summer holidays though Hakyeon suggested that he should try out for the Quidditch team if he liked sports that much. He also gave him some book recommendations and Taekwoon spent every minute of his free time reading about the magnificent sport called Quidditch. It was fascinating and sounded like so much fun because you got to play it in the air and stuff. Simply amazing. During his stays at Hakyeon's house he would let Taekwoon use his broom so he could practice his flying skills.

This also came with a price though.

Hakyeon agreed to almost all the sport things Taekwoon wanted to do like football or badminton or well Quidditch. In return Taekwoon had to help Hakyeon out with his dancing. There were some dances Hakyeon just couldn't do alone and okay, Taekwoon could do that as long as nobody was watching. He wasn't a good dancer. Hakyeon agreed only partly with that statement because Taekwoon's rhythm was pretty good and he was a quick learner. Taekwoon still thought Hakyeon was just doing it for his personal amusement because more than often Taekwoon would do something hilariously dumb and Hakyeon would end up laughing on the floor. It didn't bother Taekwoon that much though. Hakyeon was happy and that made Taekwoon happy. If it also had the added bonus of practicing his flying skills and drag Hakyeon with him to do other sports, Taekwoon couldn't complain.

Considering all the points from above, Taekwoon could say that maybe this year would be better then the last.

He was pulled out of his musings by a hand tugging at his sleeve.

“You alright there, Taekwoonie?”

It was Hakyeon's silvery voice that ripped through the noise of the Platform.

At one point during the summer holidays Hakyeon had started to call Taekwoon that silly name. Saying Taekwoon was too cute and therefore needed a cute name so Taekwoon _ie_ it was. Strangely enough, it didn't actually bother Taekwoon. He never had a nickname so every time Hakyeon used that name a warm tingly feeling spread throughout his body.

“Taekwoonie?”

“Hm?”

“Are you alright?”

“Oh- yeah, fine.”

It wasn't the complete truth. Taekwoon still hated all the noise around him but Hakyeon's presence gave him something to focus on so it wasn't a total lie. Hakyeon threw him another one of his encouraging smiles and grabbed his hand in a proper grip.

“Come on then, let's get inside the train. There will be less noise there.”

Taekwoon had nothing to complain about that reasoning so he followed Hakyeon's insistent tugging. Together they left the bustling Platform behind them and mingled with the other students inside the train to find a compartment. They found a free one and quickly decided to take that before anyone else would come.

Not long after though, someone else came along the way and decided to sit with them. It wasn't unwanted company. It was Minhyuk, Hakyeon's roommate, and Tiffany, a 3rd year Hufflepuff. The two of them were cheery and excitedly telling them about their adventurous summer holidays.

Minhyuk went on a trip with his family to see the infamous Eiffel Tower in Paris while Tiffany visited her grandparents.

They were good company and Taekwoon liked them enough to not be annoyed by their voices but they took away his last free time with Hakyeon. Yes it was a stupid and very petty reason but Taekwoon couldn't control his thoughts.

Soon they would be arriving at Hogwarts and the two of them would be separated again. Sure they could see each other during dinner and outside of classes – maybe this year they would even have some classes together – but he had gotten used to Hakyeon's presence.

They had spent as good as every day during summer together. Hakyeon even met his friends Eunji and Minhyun. The two had instantly taken a liking to Hakyeon – let's be serious, who didn't like Hakyeon? - and got along together very well. They slept at each others houses for heaven's sake, how was he supposed to get used to being separated from him again? Some may call it pathetic but Taekwoon didn't really listen to other people so really who cares.

Anyway, the point was that even though Taekwoon didn't mind them, he also wouldn't mind if they could just leave them alone.

Of course that would not be the case. The opposite even. Not soon after the train had left the station they were joined by Eunkwang and a second year Ravenclaw called Minseok. Eunkwang had met him at one point during their first year. Something about Eunkwang smuggling books for him or so.

Minseok was a good addition to their little group of friends. He wasn't as loud as the others and knew _a lot_. It really was no wonder that he had been sorted into Ravenclaw.

For example, he knew that a single string spaghetti was called Spaghetto.

Or the fact that babies have around 100 more bones than adults.

Or that honey is a food that is not able to get spoiled so theoretically you can eat honey that's thousands of years old. In fact the oldest honey ever found was 5500 years old.

He also knew a lot of things about animals, which fascinated Taekwoon even more. Usually that was also their common topic when they were talking because Taekwoon also knew a lot about animals.

“You look way better this year,” Eunkwang said and effectively pulled Taekwoon out of his thoughts.

Hakyeon was currently catching up with Minhyuk, while Minseok and Tiffany exchanged their hopes for this school year. Both of them weren't happy with the stuff they had learnt during their first year. It was “too easy” for them which Taekwoon could definitely not understand.

“Did you have a good summer?”

Taekwoon nodded and told Eunkwang about Hakyeon and him spending time together and how he had learnt so much about Quidditch. Hearing that Taekwoon considered to try out for the team delighted Eunkwang a great lot. Apparently the blond wanted to do the same and so their topic soon only circled around Quidditch.

Taekwoon really enjoyed himself and occasionally stole one of Hakyeon's biscuits. The same ones he had brought last year. Taekwoon adored them and their light chocolaty-lemony flavor. Not something you'd expect to go together, Taekwoon had to admit, but it was heaven. Taekwoon also got to meet the god who's recipe it was.

Cha Sunwoo was, big surprise, not very unlike Hakyeon. In fact from what Taekwoon had learnt everyone in the family had gotten their fair share of cheerful, happy-go-lucky personalities. It was at times a bit much, especially when the whole Cha Clan was meeting up to celebrate Hakyeon's dad's birthday. The Chas had also invited Taekwoon along. Poor clueless Taekwoon, not knowing about everyone's similarity to Hakyeon was completely overwhelmed. There were introductions and hugs and so much chattering that Taekwoon just fled from the room. Once Hakyeon informed his family though about his apparent problem with crowds they quieted down and it was bearable. Not something Taekwoon would like to repeat in the near future but he lived through it.

At one point the 7 hour long train ride had come to an end as they reached their final destination. While waiting for everyone to get out Taekwoon watched the excited first years swarming out onto the station. It was a relieve, seeing that Taekwoon was not one of them anymore. He probably didn't have the mental strength to go though his first year again. At least now he already knew some people, especially the guys and girls from his house.

Even though it separated him from Hakyeon, Taekwoon was actually quite pleased with his sorting at this point. It should also be noted that Taekwoon still didn't like the house system and had no inhibitions in telling Hakyeon where about the Gryffindor dormitories were. No one told him it's a forbidden thing to do so Taekwoon did not posses an ounce of regret when their Head of House told him that he had just broken a thousand year old tradition. Not like Taekwoon would have cared anyway, because in return now he also knew that Hufflepuff was placed strategically close to the kitchens. That on itself had been worth the detention he had gotten for his little stunt.

Another great thing about this year was the fact that they didn't have to ride the boats to Hogwarts anymore. Taekwoon could have jumped in the air, so relieved was he to learn that the other years would get to use carriages. Self-driving carriages at that. Probably through magic Taekwoon thought at first but Minseok quickly set him straight. Sure, _invisible horses_ were way more in line with Hogwarts' crazy grounds than using magic for carriages.

As a side note: Taekwoon would really like to see those horses and give them a thorough pet. Poor things being invisible probably meant that they didn't get any attention. To be fair, Taekwoon had droned out the part about people who experienced death being able to see them, because he was busy looking out for those invisible horses. Taekwoon was hungry and a bit tired so he was allowed to not listen too closely.

The following days would also see Taekwoon strolling around Hogwarts grounds while nonchalantly stretching out his hands in different directions. What if one of those Thestrals had gotten lost in the forbidden forest and came to Hogwarts instead. A possibility that Taekwoon didn't want to let slip.

The carriages brought them right up to the front entrance of Hogwarts castle and Taekwoon had to admit that everything looked way better now that his mind wasn't all doom and gloom. He could agree that Hogwarts had something - _Ha!_ \- magical about it and he could understand the first year's excitement.

“Ready for the next level, Taekwoonie?” Hakyeon's voice asked from next to him as they got out off the carriage. The doors opened and Taekwoon nodded. This year he would try to make it a better year. It was his youth after all and he didn't want to look back at it with regret. Not a realization Taekwoon had come to by his own. It was actually Doyeon, Taekwoon's stepmother. She told him about all the things she had wanted to do when she was younger but didn't. Mostly because she had been afraid to take risks and therefore missed a lot of opportunities. She gave Taekwoon the advice to make the best of his situation. His therapist agreed.

The feast was just as spectacular as last year, even if the stupid hat gave Taekwoon bad flashbacks. It almost felt like he could hear it ringing through his head again. A cold shudder ran down Taekwoon's spine and he focused on the meal in front of him instead as well as the conversation's around him

It was good seeing everyone back and the newbies also seemed quite alright. All still a bit overly excited and marveling at the food and the magic ceiling. Taekwoon though stayed in the background and let Eunkwang and the others handle them.

Hakyeon also seemed quite busy at his table. The brunet handling almost three conversations at the same time. Not only was he trying to catch up with the others from his house but also chatting up the new Students. Taekwoon shook his head and happily focused back on his food.

Sleep didn't come easy that night. Taekwoon was positively exhausted and the day had been acceptable but his mind couldn't shut up again. Sure he could have gone to the infirmary after dinner but he didn't think he'd need a potion. He should have still gotten something, just in case. Now there was no chance that anyone was still there. He had also tried the medicine that his therapist prescribed but that had been about two hours ago. Taekwoon knew that because he had gotten himself a wristwatch. At least those worked in Hogwarts.

Thus Taekwoon could be found in the Gryffindor common room munching biscuits in his favorite armchair by the fire. Hakyeon had made Taekwoon his own batch of biscuits in case of emergencies. There was some kind of Charm on them so they would keep for longer. Taekwoon had also sworn himself to eat them sparsely. Half of them were already gone though so that would probably not be the case. Sadly as good as they were they didn't do much for Taekwoon's peace of mind.

At least he wasn't alone. The moment Taekwoon had seated himself in front of the fireplace a sudden weight landed on his lap.

Taekwoon liked to believe that Shadow had followed him because she noticed the distress of her owner. The cat probably just wanted to get her fair share of biscuits. At least that's what Taekwoon took form her wistful gaze at the almost empty box.

“'m not giving you any,” Taekwoon defended with his mouth full. “Don't even try it, miss.”

“Meow...”

“They are not for you.”

“Meoooow...”

Taekwoon was seriously wondering if that cat wasn't just a small dog in disguise. She totally mastered the puppy dog eyes and Taekwoon found himself groaning.

“Alright, fine. I'm going to share.”

Taekwoon broke the biscuit in his hands in two and reached it in front of Shadow's mouth.

“There, happy now?”

The answering meow was enough and from there on he gave her a little bit of biscuit every now and then. She was a good cat. Even when the biscuits had all gone she stayed by his side. Currently she was snoring away on his lap with Taekwoon sorting through her fur.

“At least one of us can sleep tonight.” It was kind of a lie though. After another two hours of staring in to the slow simmering flames of the fireplace Taekwoon had finally sorted out his thoughts and fell asleep.

That was another thing his therapist had shown him. Up until Hogwarts, Taekwoon had always just tuned out his thoughts with music. He would listen to music for hours on end until his thoughts had tired themselves out. It didn't mean he actively dealt with them though, just suppressing them. That was probably also one of the reasons why he becomes so easily overwhelmed. All the thoughts he had suppressed were still running in the back burner of Taekwoon's mind and sometimes even get mixed up with new ones. In order to avoid that from happening she told Taekwoon that he needed to face them and not run away.

Of course that was easier said than done. Especially at home where music was still available to Taekwoon. Here though he didn't have his music sanctuary.

It may have taken longer but Taekwoon had finally been able to fall asleep and that was a small victory in itself. Maybe tomorrow he could try the same thing but in his bed. That was probably better for his back after all.

* * *

Taekwoon was woken up by a gentle shake of his shoulder the following day.

“Taekwoon?”

“Hm...”

“It's time for breakfast.”

Stretching the sleep out of his limbs Taekwoon opened his eyes to a concerned looking Eunkwang.

Taekwoon's tired “Good morning” was interrupted by a huge yawn. Shadow seemed to have left him as well over the night so there was no reason to stay seated.

“Where are the others?”

“Still sleeping.”

That gave Taekwoon pause.

“You said it was breakfast time...”

Yes, Taekwoon was not over pouting. Jokes about food weren't funny. Eunkwang in return just rolled his eyes.

“There's still about an hour left.”

“Then why...?”

“You weren't in your bed when I woke up so I went looking for you. I thought you might not want to be seen sleeping here by everyone again.”

Oh, right.

The last time it happened Taekwoon was mortified. Just the thought of others seeing him sleep there made him shudder. He really hadn't wanted them to ask questions or maybe make fun about the way he slept. Of course they wouldn't do that because they were all just worried about Taekwoon's apparent lack of sleep, but still.

“Thank you,” Taekwoon said sincerely and stretched his arms over his head a second time. “ I think I'm going to get ready. Probably won't be able to fall back asleep anyway.”

Before Taekwoon could leave though Eunkwang had grabbed his wrist.

“Are you alright?”

That managed to put a smile on Taekwoon's face. Eunkwang really was a good friend.

“Yeah, it was just a bit hard to fall asleep and I didn't want to bother you with my endless turning.”

Eunkwang was not convinced but he still didn't press the matter any further. Instead he got ready as well and they found themselves in the common room again. Their talk ranged from what classes they'd share, gossip Eunkwang had managed to catch during the train ride and of course the new students.

It didn't take long though until the other Gryffindors rose from their sleep and soon they were mobilizing themselves to go down for breakfast. Taekwoon and Eunkwang naturally waited for their two roommates and together they ascended Gryffindor tower.

They had just reached the end of the stairs when suddenly-

“Catch me!”

Taekwoon did not get any more warning than that and in no time flat he found himself almost toppling over from the sudden force jumping on his back.

“Hakyeon-” Taekwoon tried to scold but it got lost in his scream as he lost his balance. They fell in a spectacular flailing of limbs and landed in a heap on the floor with Hakyeon's hollering laugh on top of Taekwoon's groans. Note that Taekwoon did not laugh because he probably had broken one or more ribs in the process. Hakyeon wasn't exactly a lightweight and Taekwoon was a scrawny 12-year-old.

“Shit, are you alright?” Eunkwang asked like the good friend he was while Doojoon and Kisu couldn't stop laughing at Taekwoon's predicament.

A groan was all the answer Taekwoon gave him while Hakyeon was still wheezing on top of him. This was not a state Taekwoon wanted to continue being in so with all the power he had left he unceremoniously shoved Hakyeon off his back. And no, Taekwoon did not care about what happened to Hakyeon's behind at all. It's his own fault for attacking Taekwoon like that. He told Hakyeon as much but the latter did not care at all. Instead he was clutching his sides and stood up while he slowly regained his breath and managed to control his laughter. Taekwoon got up as well and to his mortification had to discover that the commotion had caught the attention of some of the students around them, not only his roommates.

 _Great start of the year,_ Taekwoon sighed mentally and shrugged in on himself with his cheeks on fire and fleed towards the great hall.

“Taekwoon? Taekwoon! Wait!”

Taekwoon did definitely not wait and just powered on to get away from the others as fast as possible. No such luck though because Hakyeon was very persistent and quickly caught up to him.

“I'm sorry, Taekwoonie!”

“It was embarrassing...”

“Oh come on, it wasn't that bad,” Hakyeon whined and clung himself onto Taekwoon's arm. Damn he couldn't stay mad at Hakyeon.

“Everyone was staring.”

“I told you to catch me.”

“One second before you jumped me.”

“That's not fair. It was at least five seconds,” Hakyeon said with a roll of the eyes and tried to keep up with Taekwoon's fast pace.

Meanwhile it should be noted that they had reached the great hall and Taekwoon was on the way to his usual place near the teachers table and sat down next to Nickhun as he wished the 5th year a good morning. Hakyeon followed and quickly took the seat right next to Taekwoon, completely ignoring the protests of Eunkwang who usually sat there.

“Taekwoon, my boy!” Eunhyuk exclaimed the moment Taekwoon had filled his plate, his eyes glittering with excitement as he threw an arm over Taekwoon's shoulder. “The little birdie next to you told me about your plans to join our team, right?”

Of course Hakyeon had told them. Seriously, who wasn't friends with Hakyeon? And when did he even have the time to talk to Eunhyuk? Hakyeon had spent the whole evening yesterday chatting up his housemates.

“He does, right Taekwoonie?”

“Uh _Taekwoonie_? Well that's cute,” Siwon chimed in from the other side of the table, “should we also call you that?”

“Please don't,” Taekwoon answered mortified. It was already enough that Hakyeon called him that. Luckily the source of his problem spoke up. “No, you can't do that. He's my Taekwoonie and only I get to call him that.”

“Oh I see how it is. Taekwoon is playing favorites,” Eunhyuk accused with his usual dramatic flare.

“Not even someone from our house,” Siwon added pointing an accusing finger at Taekwoon. “Traitor!”

The only thing heard from said traitor was a loud thud as his head connected with the table in shame.

“Ouch, that sounded as if it might hurt.” It did but Taekwoon was too preoccupied with embarrassment as to comment on it. This day was horrible.

“So Quidditch it is, yes? You didn't peg me as thee sports guy Taekwoon,” Victoria chimed up to change the topic for which Taekwoon thanked her.

“Of course he is! You should have seen him! I told him about Quidditch this summer and he was super excited!” Hakyeon chimed in before Taekwoon could answer.

“I never really thought of you as a team sports kind of guy,” Siwon said with the bluntness of a five year old.

A fierce blush spread of Taekwoon's cheeks as he avoided looking at any of the present student and explained in a small voice. “I just like sports...”

“No sorry, that shouldn't have sounded like a bad thing,” the elder hastily corrected his mistake, “it's just that well, you don't like attention, right?”

Taekwoon nodded. He understood Siwon's confusion. Taekwoon seriously hated attention but oddly enough it didn't bother him so much when he was playing some kind of sport. Probably because he was focused on winning. Taekwoon had a fierce almost burning determination when competing against someone. He was also a sore loser which made his determination even fiercer.

“You know that there are always loads of people during games, right? I'm not so sure playing Quidditch is the right thing for you.”

When Taekwoon nodded this time his blush was gone, replaced by conviction. Something the others weren't so used to seeing. It was enough to placate Siwon's thoughts.

“Well then, I'm really looking forward to seeing you for the trials.” And with that the topic changed to something more imminent, like the new timetables.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for the first part of the Quidditch tryouts!

Taekwoon was not running away. _Nope_. He wasn't hiding. _Nu-uh_. He just liked admiring the underside of his bed and inspect all the dust he could find there.

It was the afternoon of the Quidditch tryout's and to say that Taekwoon was nervous was a bit of an understatement. Taekwoon was practically a walking ball of anxiety – or more like a plank of anxiety right now.

Talking about Quidditch with his friends and practicing it with Hakyeon over the summer was all good and nice and Taekwoon really wanted to play for his house. The big problem Taekwoon kept ignoring though, was the fact that he first had to actually try out for the team. This meant accomplishing tasks he didn't know about and that in front of quite some people. People that were also better than him and would be scrutinizing his every move and notice every mistake he'd make. There would also be the other new guys that want to try out. Just a few days ago he heard some of the upper years talk about how they planned to try out. Surely they had more experience than Taekwoon and surely they'd laugh at his feeble attempts to steer his broom.

Heaven it was horrible and Taekwoon wasn't quite sure if he could do it, which also lead to his current study of the underside of his bed. His housemates were right. Taekwoon was a wreck when it came to public attention. How could he ever think that he would be actually playing for his house? Even if he somehow managed to get on the team, how would he ever be able to play for them? Quidditch was a popular sport in Hogwarts. Hundreds of people watching the games. It wasn't like back when he played soccer for his elementary school where only their families were watching. Families that knew Taekwoon already and never thought him odd. Here though it was different. Sure, his housemates may understand him but what about the other houses? Maybe some in Hufflepuff knew him because of Hakyeon but besides that? There were also the newbies that had no clue about Taekwoon. They'd come to the games, expecting to see great players and then they'd watch Taekwoon embarrassing himself and his whole team and then everyone would be angry and-

Taekwoon shook his head. That was not a spiral he was going to go down right now. His therapist had taught him better. He was overthinking again and it was not good, Taekwoon knew that deep down in his soul. Still his body and mind weren't into it. They were still screaming, urging him to run, hide somewhere else and to never come back.

Taekwoon couldn't do that though because there was also the fact that he wouldn't be able to look anyone in the eyes anymore should he not go. He had told them he would be coming, that he was different from last year and that he would audition. If he wouldn't turn up they'd surely think of him as a coward.

While Taekwoon mentally went through all the pros and cons of staying under his bed for the rest of the year someone came into the room. At first he thought it was one of his roommates but then a silvery voice rang through the room.

“You stole my wand just to show me Taekwoon's empty room?”

Taekwoon wondered what Hakyeon was talking about and what he was doing in the Gryffindor tower at all. Sure Hakyeon was a common sight in their common room – just like Taekwoon was in the Hufflepuff common room – but they'd always go together, never alone. That made it less weird and more acceptable for their housemates.

(Not like any of them would run to their heads of house and tattle on them seeing as Hakyeon got along with pretty much anyone and had them all wrapped around his finger.)

A loud meow answered Taekwoon's questions and he cursed his stupid luck. Shadow lived to make his life harder. Also made more sense with the whole stealing Hakyeon's wand thing.

Talking about Hakyeon's wand.

“Shadow no!”

With a clear _plink_ the wand fell off the bed and dropped right next to Taekwoon's head. Taekwoon cursed his stupid decision of going for a cat. He should have just got a toad or something.

“Seriously, what is wrong with cats penchant for shoving delicate things off of things?”

Hakyeon huffed and dropped to his knees. Taekwoon held his breath. There was still a slim chance that Hakyeon wouldn't discover him. He was only feeling around the floor with his hand, not yet looking under it.

Alright, if he just gave the wand a little nudge so it could roll towards Hakyeon's hand and-

“Huh? What's that?”

He touched Hakyeon's hand. Of course he would. With his mind short circuiting Taekwoon was pretty sure Hakyeon wouldn't notice him if he just turned on his side. It was dark after all and Taekwoon's robes would surely conceal his form-

“Taekwoon, is that you?”

His heart stopped.

“No.”

He winced. Great job Taekwoon.

“What are you- why are you-” The Hufflepuff gave up with a sigh.

“So that's what you wanted to show me, darling?”

An affirmative meow came from the top of the bed.

_Little traitor._

Hakyeon sighed again.

“Taekwoon, why are you under there?”

“I lost something.”

“Then why aren't you actively looking for it?”

Taekwoon shrugged.

“Can you come out then?”

“No.”

Hakyeon sighed a third time and somehow he managed to make it sound more exhausted then the last one.

“Alright then,” he conceded and for a short moment Taekwoon actually thought Hakyeon had given up and it gave his heart a slight tug.

Okay maybe he didn't actually want to be alone, Taekwoon thought as Hakyeon's steps echoed through the room. The didn't go to the door and instead Taekwoon came face to face with Hakyeon's black shoes and the ends of his robe. He got onto his knees and laid himself flat on the floor.

“Scoot over you big idiot,” Hakyeon commanded but there was nothing but gentleness in his voice.

Not knowing what the other was planning, Taekwoon did as he was told and not long after he shared the space with Hakyeon. They lay face to face with about a heads space in between them.

“Seeing as you don't want to come out you just have to share this space with me.”

A body with four legs shimmied itself past their heads and Taekwoon got a mouthful of cat hair before Shadow was nestled comfortable against her owners chest, purring lightly.

“This is quite cosy,” Hakyeon amended and Taekwoon couldn't help the bewildered laugh escaping his lips.

“It's ridiculous.”

“You're the one being ridiculous.”

Shadow meowed.

“See, even Shadow agrees with me.”

“Because she's a traitor,” Taekwoon huffed with an eye roll. As if to show her innocence the black feline just rubbed her head under Taekwoon's chin purring even louder.

“She's your savior and you know it,” Hakyeon retorted smug and gave the cat a gentle pat. Taekwoon couldn't agree more but he wouldn't let any of them know it. He still gave Shadow a scratch behind her ears.

The three of them lay there for a few minutes and Taekwoon thought he could just ignore his problems and enjoy this moment. Of course Hakyeon had other plans.

“Are you nervous about the try outs?”

Was it really that obvious? Seems like it. Taekwoon groaned. At least down here in the dark no one would be able to see his embarrassment. That's what Taekwoon was, embarrassed. Here he was, a strong, proud and loyal Gryffindor hiding under his bed because of something stupid.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

Taekwoon really didn't want to but there was so much genuine worry and care in Hakyeon's words that he couldn't just say nothing. There was also his therapists voice in his head telling him to open up about his problems. Otherwise no one would be able to help him.

“I'm scared,” he admitted with a small voice, focusing his attention on petting Shadow to distract him. “I don't want them to laugh at me.”

“Who should laugh about you?”

“Everyone. The team, the other ones trying out, the people watching, everyone.”

“Why would they laugh about you?”

“Maybe because everyone's better than me and I'm definitely going to bust the tasks they give us and I just know that something horribly embarrassing is going to happen.”

One of Hakyeon's hands landed on Taekwoon's arm, careful not to squeeze Shadow.

“Maybe you're overthinking things?” Of course he was overthinking things. That's all Taekwoon's brain was good for. “No one is perfect, Taekwoon. No one is going to expect you to be perfect. Each and every player on the Quidditch team, no matter which one, will probably be better than you.”

“Thanks.”

“No, you didn't let me finish, drama queen,” Hakyeon admonished and slowly rubbed along Taekwoon's arm. “They will be better than you simply because they've got more experience than you. They train for hours on end in their free time, and even then they make mistakes. That's natural.”

Taekwoon knew Hakyeon was right. It wasn't like he had tried to tell himself that as well. His mind just wouldn't let anything reasonable in.

“Besides, Eunkwang is going to be there as well and the others know about your fears, right?”

Taekwoon nodded and a big smile bloomed on Hakyeon's features.

“See? There's no one that will laugh at you. You're all in the same boat.”

It felt as if a huge weight had lifted from Taekwoon's shoulders. His mind had quieted down as well and his body wasn't as tensed up as before.

“Thank you, Hakyeon” Taekwoon said with a small smile of his own as he pressed his head against Shadows'.

With one final pat Hakyeon retreated his arm. “What are friends for if not for pulling their dramatic best friends out from a life under their bed?”

That elicited a snort from Taekwoon. His hiding place was ridiculous, alright, he would admit as much.

“But just in case there is someone laughing, be sure that I'll make good on my promise from last year and eat them.”

* * *

“Alright Newbies!” shouted Choi Siwon, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain as he stood in front of the five contestants.

There were, of course, Taekwoon and Eunkwang. Alongside them vying for a position in the team were 2nd year Kim Taeyeon and the 3rd years Kim Minjun and Dong Youngbae. Each one of them looking very serious and holding their broom in a tight grip. If Taekwoon held his broom tighter than everyone else, no one would notice. Were the others nervous as well? Oh dear, this was going to be a nerve wreck of an experience.

“I'm captain Choi Siwon and I'll be the one judging your performance today.” It was strange to hear Siwon talk like that with such an authoritative voice seeing as he was otherwise quite a cheerful and funny guy.

“We'll be testing you to the very bone and I'm not tolerating any kind of fooling around.” During his little speech the older Gryffindor started to wander up and down with the hands behind his back, almost like they were in the military. It really wasn't helping Taekwoon's nerves.

“You are all here because you think you're good enough for our team, right?” A collective nod. “Well, thinking isn't good enough! It won't help your teammates if you _think_ you can play well alongside them. It won't help winning a game if you _think_ you are good enough. I want to see you burn for this team, for Quidditch and will not tolerate anything less.”

Alright, this has been a bad idea, Taekwoon thought as panic gripped his mind. Damn the embarrassment but Taekwoon just couldn't do this. His legs were just about to make a turn but then someone shoved Siwon to the side and a voice exclaimed, “Oh shut up, Siwon.”

It was Kangin one of the 7th years, as well as the rest of the standing team. “Don't listen to whatever he just said,” he said with his big eye smile.

“Yeah he does it every year because that's the only time he can live out his position as captain,” Eunhyuk added as he threw his arm around Siwon's shoulder.

“Ya! Get off of me,” Siwon protested as he tried to shove the younger from his shoulder with no success.

“Oh come on, don't be like that. Everyone here knows you're a big softie,” Eunhyuk cooed and retraced his arm again.

Siwon seemed to admit defeat quite quickly as he looked at the grins on his teammates faces. His shoulders slumped and he stood along them. “You never let me try something new...”

“Because it's rubbish and you know it,” Victoria quipped

“I hate you all.”

Kangin clapped his hands and stepped up. “Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's start right away with the tryouts, yes?”

No. Taekwoon couldn't do this. He really really couldn't. He was just about to turn around, when suddenly Eunhyuk called his name. And there went his chance to escape unnoticed.

“Taekwoon, I'm glad you managed to come here!” For a moment Taekwoon caught something strange in his eyes, almost like- “I honestly thought you'd bail on us.”

Yep, Eunhyuk was saying that on purpose. He knew exactly were Taekwoon's thoughts had been just a few seconds ago. He wasn't quite sure weather he should hate Eunhyuk for that or thank him. Right now his mind was stuck to the first category but in a few weeks Taekwoon would be grateful for the elders intervention. Not right now though.

Right now Taekwoon didn't say anything and just nodded and fiddled with one of his rings.

* * *

The first part of the try outs wasn't even really part of it. It was a simple warm-up.

 _”To prepare the body for physical activity, improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.”_ Siwon had said as an explanation for why they were currently running around the Quidditch pitch. Taekwoon didn't mind. It was actually quite relaxing seeing as he was used to running due to his childhood football career. It helped him to get over his nervousness at least for a bit and his shoulders felt lighter. Taekwoon had forgotten how much he liked exercising. Maybe he should do that more often not depending on if he was accepted onto the team. A light jog around the castle grounds should be fine. He was an early riser anyway, what with his insomnia. Sure the potions helped but they had their limits and Taekwoon's body slowly got used to them which had the effect of waking up hours before everyone else. Though Taekwoon wasn't sure if he was allowed to go outside the castle that early in the morning. There probably wouldn't be a problem, if he talked to Mrs. Park. The Gryffindor Head of House was always happy to help. Taekwoon wouldn't be out for long anyway, just a few minutes to prepare his mind for the day. It was definitely better than sitting in the common-room and staring into the fire while his thoughts turned over in his mind.

“That's enough now, gather in the middle,” sounded Victoria's voice over the pitch and they all came towards the centre. Some were breathing more heavily than others. If you'd ask Taekwoon the jogging could've lasted a bit longer. Others, like Eunkwang for example, would most probably disagree. Good thing for them, that they were doing some stretches now. That way they could catch their breath.

After those were done it was finally time to get on the brooms.

“Okay everyone,” Siwon spoke and the mood turned a bit more serious, “We're looking for a Chaser and a Keeper, though for the time being only as reserve players because we're already a complete team.”

“Seeing as our two grandpas Siwon and Kangin won't be in Hogwarts anymore next year we need to prepare ourselves,” Eunhyuk said and masterfully ignored the indignant exclamation of one Siwon.

“You'll be training alongside us but there probably won't be any games you're going to play in,” Donghae continued, “we want you to be at peak condition when you take over Siwon and Kangin's positions, alright?”

They collectively nodded and without further ado the trials started.

First up were the ones trying out for the Keeper position. This concerned Eunkwang, Taeyeon and Youngbae.

Taekwoon wasn't even surprised that Taeyeon would be trying her luck as a keeper. Over the last year they had bonded over their shared passion for soccer. The two of them could be found ever second Wednesday evening in the common room discussing news concerning the muggle soccer world. Her father was a big soccer fan as well so he'd always send her updates every two weeks. Sometimes a few of their other housemates joined them in discussions but most of the time it was just them. Like Taekwoon, Taeyeon wasn't only a big fan of watching soccer but she also played it throughout most of her childhood. Even now she'd participate in games of her old team when she was at home where she'd take the keeper position. That would definitely give her an advantage. At least over Eunkwang. Taekwoon didn't know much about Youngbae, only that he was seemingly good friends with Minjun -a 3rd year trying out for the Chaser position- and that he had a good build for a keeper.

They were only given two tasks. The first one was rather simple and straightforward: Defend the goals from Gryffindors current three chasers - namely Victoria, Siwon and Hyoyeon- each having three go's. So in total the contestants had nine tries to protect the Hoops.

Youngbae was the first one to go and he put up an astonishing performance deflecting the first three shots. He seemed put off when the fourth one went through, as did the next one and the one after that. By the time of Victoria's last two attempts he had gotten a grip on himself though and managed to avert them without trouble. All in all saving five out of nine shots was a pretty good start.

Eunkwang on the other hand didn't have such a great time. While he managed to save the first one, the three following went through the hoops. Every time Eunkwang had been so close to getting them but he always seemed to react a second too late. Number five and six were deflected with some pretty good moves though it wasn't enough. They seemed more like lucky shots seeing as he wasn't able to safe the last three Quaffles. Three out of nine wasn't exactly a good score, even Eunkwang could admit that and Taekwoon felt sorry for his friend. Eunkwang on the other hand, while miffed about his performance, wasn't too sad.

“Life's too short to be sad,” he said as answer to Taekwoon's question if he was alright. Taekwoon admired that. Eunkwang was, like Hakyeon, a thoroughly happy person with a seemingly bottomless well of optimism. However they did that, it deeply amazed Taekwoon and he wished that one day he could be like them. It was a far cry from the actual reality of Taekwoon's situation but one could dream.

It was Taeyeon's turn now and as expected, she knew exactly what she was doing. She deflected one shot after the other with two little mistakes throughout her performance but considering everything, saving seven out of nine shots was quite impressive. It almost seemed like she could predict the exact direction the Quaffle would come. Truly magnificent. Even Kangin was baffled.

The last task wasn't that hard either. The current teams Seeker Lee Soonkyu – or simply Sunny as her friends called her – would fly one lap around the Pitch. The contestants task was to memorize the exact route and fly it in under one minute preferably without any mistakes.

Here Eunkwang fared way better than with the first task. He managed to complete the lap in under 40 seconds with only two mistakes. It wasn't an optimal score but better than Youngbae. The 3rd year did finish the lap in time but Taekwoon counted at least four mistakes. Though the two boys were clearly left behind by Taeyeon. Not only had she accomplished the course in record time but with only one mistake.

Taekwoon didn't want to say who he thought would have the highest chances but in his opinion it would be Taeyeon. She simply was better than the boys. Sadly though they'd only get their answers after the rest of the try outs were held.

After all there were still the Chaser trials left and Taekwoon's Heartbeat speed up. He would be competing alongside Minjun and surprisingly Taeyeon as well.

“I couldn't decide so I'll just try my luck in both of them,” she explained and somehow Taekwoon wasn't too surprised. She was a sports fan after all and it would up her chances of getting a spot on the team. Well, Taekwoon just hoped he could keep up with her.

Their first task was used to get a read on their flying skills. All they had to do was fly around the Pitch for one minute, with a Quaffle in their hand.

Easy, right? _Wrong_.

Of course they wouldn't just fly around without any reason. Together with them in the air were the teams two beater -Eunhyuk and Donghae- and what would be a beater without the Bludgers? So of course the two iron balls were there as well. The aim of the task was to get hit as little as possible, stay on your broom and most importantly _do not loose the Quaffle._

The way Siwon had described it it seemed like a pretty normal Quidditch task but to Taekwoon who, in his training's with Hakyeon, had never had contact with a Bludger it was just a tad bit frightening. He had read about the horrible injuries resulting in a hit from those Bludgers and he was not keen on suffering from them.

It also didn't help that Minjun, who tried out first, nearly fell off his Broom after a nasty hit to the shoulder. Taekwoon almost couldn't watch as Minjun dangled from his broom with only one hand gripping the handle and the other busy clutching the Quaffle. The brunet had just managed to hoist himself back onto he broom when another Bludger headed his way aiming for his head. Taekwoon threw his hands over his eyes. He really couldn't watch this. Seconds passed in which he waited for the inevitable crash but it never came. Spying through his fingers Taekwoon saw that Minjun was gone. Had he actually fallen off?! Panicking just a bit, Taekwoon scanned the ground for any hints of Minjun's whereabouts when something in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. There he was: Whizzing around the pitch and expertly dodging any other attacks. A sigh left Taekwoon's stress bitten lips.

There weren't any other misshapenness after that and Minjun landed safely back on the ground.

“That was some excellent flying you did there Minjun,” Siwon said as the brunet handed him the Quaffle. “But you're lacking speed. You've got some good basic reflexes but they're a tad bit too slow.”

Siwon looked up from his clipboard with a serious face but as he looked at Minjun's slumped shoulders he softened.

“Don't worry, it's nothing that couldn't be corrected with some good hard training.” He clapped Minjun on the shoulder. “That's why we're holding these tryouts now so that we can prepare you properly for next year, when it really counts.”

Not only did those words help Minjun but it also took off some of Taekwoon's worries. He could do this. What was the worst that could happen? Not make the team? There would only be two who'd make it on the team anyway so even if Taekwoon wouldn't make it, he wouldn't be the only one. A small ray of hope slipped into his chest shining through the thick clouds of worry.

“Now it's your turn, Taekwoon!”

And gone was the ray of hope. The clouds of worry pulled back together tight and if possible grew even darker as doubt began to rain in his chest. He couldn't do this.

A pair of hands were placed on his shoulders, startling Taekwoon from his trance.

“Come on, you can do it,” Eunkwang said as his hands kneaded life back into his stiff shoulders. Right, he could do that. Minjun did it and he wasn't perfect. Taekwoon didn't have to be perfect but he needed to do this.

 _”Just do it_.” The voice of his therapist rang through his head. She had made him promise that if he agreed on a challenge that he would not back down from it. Taekwoon hated to break promises, so there was no other option but to face up to the challenge.

“Taekwoon?” Siwon asked again, concern lacing his voice and Taekwoon felt bad for stalling. Minjun didn't hesitate like him and he was sure that Taeyeon wouldn't either.

 _I can do this_ , Taekwoon though and nodded to himself as he dislodged Eunkwang's hands. With a deep breath he mounted his broom and soared up into the air. There was a cheer from somewhere located in the audience ranks and Taekwoon quickly spotted Hakyeon standing together with Kisu and Doojoon. There were a few others as well but Taekwoon didn't focus on them. It would only throw him off if he acknowledged their presence. The only ones important were Hakyeon and his roommates who all gave him a thumbs up. Taekwoon also noticed that Hakyeon was wearing a Gryffindor scarf which was odd. It couldn't be Kisu's or Doojoon's, seeing as they were wearing theirs as well.

“You ready, Taekwoon?”

Taekwoon shoved the question into the back of his mind. He'd ask later. Right now he had to focus. He took a couple more deep breaths, his eyes closed, enjoying the clear and crisp air around him. When he opened his eyes again they were focused as everything around him faded and he nodded towards Eunhyuk. The older Gryffindor smirked and threw Taekwoon the Quaffle, which he caught with ease before he was off. There would be no time to wait for the beaters first move.

He had learnt that from Minjun's attempt. Taekwoon thought that if he just moved fast enough he'd make a harder target, using zigzag lines to throw the beaters off even more. He flew up up up and with a quick flick of his hand dove down to the ground dodging the Bludgers right and left. His strategy worked astoundingly well but Taekwoon should have known that this was too easy.

Eunhyuk and Donghae were experienced Beaters and a vicious team, of course they'd figure his tactic out pretty easily and quickly came up with an answer. Taekwoon couldn't properly focus on what they were doing but suddenly there was a Bludger whizzing by mere inches from his face. The shock was so big that Taekwoon lost focus and a hard weight connected with his side and it _hurt_. Damn that thing was a fucking nightmare that Taekwoon didn't wish to experience again. Luckily Taekwoon was hugging his broom so tight, that the hit did nothing more than nudge him to the right. His grip around the Quaffle tightened until his fingers turned white. He was not going to let that ball fall. Only over his dead body. The seconds ticked by and Taekwoon kept to his strategy more or less. It wasn't working too good anymore and he got hit more often than he could count. Each time was more painful than the other but Taekwoon couldn't be budged one meter away from his broom, as did the Quaffle, still safely in the protection of Taekwoon's iron grip-

Siwon blew the whistle and Taekwoon heard the cheers from his friends.

It was over, Taekwoon thought as he finally loosened his posture. A cold sweat had spread over his skin and his heart had never beaten so fast in his entire life as it pumped adrenaline through his body. A breath Taekwoon didn't know he was holding left his throat as he took a couple of relaxing breaths before finally landing on the ground.

Eunkwang was there in a second to engulf his friend in a bone crushing hug, cheering and shaking him. Taekwoon was glad for that because he didn't think he could stand on his own anymore. His legs felt like jelly and he couldn't believe that he had actually made it. He had stayed on his broom and-

The Quaffle!

Commanding his legs to work properly he freed himself from Eunkwang's embrace and with a huge smile handed the Quaffle to one Siwon.

“Well, that was something you don't see every day.”

A big hand was suddenly ruffling through Taekwoon's hair, pressing him down quite a bit with the force. “That was amazing!” Eunhyuk cried and Taekwoon barely managed to escape the sudden attack. “I've never seen someone as unbothered by a Bludger as you!”

“He's right,” Siwon agreed as he scribbled something down on his clipboard. “You're flying was also quite good but as you probably noticed that's not everything. Your reflexes were weak, which lead to you getting hit so many times.”

Taekwoon couldn't help the blush as he looked bashfully to the ground. Hopefully no one would notice the colour in his cheeks as he fiddled with his rings.

“But as Eunhyuk already mentioned, you're very resistant and I admire your drive to keep going. All in all, not bad for a 2nd year.”

Taekwoon didn't really listen to anything else after that, too busy with processing what he had just done and Taekwoon was honestly so proud of himself right now. He couldn't wait to tell his parents and his therapist about it. Taekwoon was so busy that he didn't even see Taeyeon's go. Only when she landed and everyone cheered did he tune in again. She as well had completed the task and brought the Quaffle back safely. Though with her it seemed like there was nothing Siwon had to criticise. From what Taekwoon had gather, not only was Taeyeon fast, but her reflexes and dodging skills were amazing. It kind of made Taekwoon sad that he had missed it. Or maybe not so much. It had been probably just as nerve wrecking as watching Minjun. His heart had gone through enough today and there was still things to come. At one point it needed the break. He was glad though that Taeyeon did so well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the tryouts! Let's see if Taekwoon makes the team ;)

“For your next task you'll be up against _me_ ,” Kangin told them with a big grin. He was having the time of his life by the looks of it. “Each one of you gets five tries to score a goal against me but don't think I'll go easy on you.”

Taekwoon knew it wouldn't be easy to score against a trained keeper but at least it didn't involve any iron nightmares. Taekwoon's body was still sore and he was sure that come evening he'd have gigantic bruises all over his torso.

“For this one Taekwoon will go first.”

Of course it would be Taekwoon. Dammit, and here he thought he could observe the others and maybe find a weakness in Kangin's defence. It made sense though to mix the order up. Minjun had been the first one at the last task. Still, Taekwoon would have preferred that over being first up against Kangin. He had seen him in the games last year and he was seriously amazing. Taekwoon would be lucky if he scored even one goal.

Taekwoon sighed and stepped forward.

He had jumped over his shadow once already and survived it. He could do it again. The only bad thing that could happen is not missing other than getting hit by a 10 inch iron ball. Who even came up with that? Taekwoon was sure if you got that thing in your face there'd be a few teeth missing for sure.

“Come on then.”

 _Right, focus now think later_ , Taekwoon told himself and got on his broom again. It was a very relaxing thing that Quidditch was played in the air. Being so far off the ground he could forget about the watchful gazes of the team. He could focus completely on the task at hand, which was currently throwing a grin his way. Kangin had already took his position, circling the goal posts. Taekwoon shook his hair out of his face as he readied himself for his first throw. He should have taken his headband with him. Oh well.

With one last breath Taekwoon focused his mind and off he went. He focused on the middle one but noticed his mistake too late as Kangin easily deflected the shot.

Well, that was horrible. He had only focused on the middle one because it was currently not guarded but of course Kangin watched him. He must have seen Taekwoon's intentions as clear as if he'd shouted them at him. Great start...

“You can do it, Taekwoonie!” The nickname got Taekwoon out of his thoughts. He had completely forgotten about Hakyeon. The Hufflepuff in Gryffindor disguise was cheering loudly and throwing Taekwoon a dashingly bright grin. Yes, he could do it.

Maybe he'd be able to use his mistake as an advantage. If he did the same thing again, the chance was high that Kangin would go for the goal Taekwoon was focused on while Taekwoon threw into one of the others. It was worth a try.

Taekwoon caught the Quaffle Siwon was throwing at him from the ground and got into position again. He did the same as before. Pick up speed, fly in a straight line and focused his gaze on the left goal. As predicted, Kangin was heading for said goal and in one smooth move Taekwoon threw the Quaffle into the right goal. His friends were delighted and even Kangin was a bit surprised.

“I should've known you're to clever to make the same mistake twice!”

Taekwoon's heart was beating like a wild beast in his chest. Not out of embarrassment or fear but because of the exhilaration coursing through his body. He could definitely do it. Only three more shots. Clearly he wouldn't be able to pull that trick again but he could think of something else. Quidditch may not be like soccer but there were certainly a few tricks from his training that he could apply to it anyway.

Siwon threw the Quaffle at him again and again Taekwoon caught it effortlessly. Taekwoon started of the same as before, heading straight for Kangin but this time he nudged his broom to the left as subtly as possible. Taekwoon had already made up his mind so his gaze stayed focused on Kangin so he would not give anything away again. A good keeper would still notice the slight change in course and probably focus on the left and middle side. Kangin was a good keeper and therefore did not disappoint when he stretched himself towards the left. Taekwoon saw his chance and quickly aimed for the far right hoop and it went in with thundering applause.

Taekwoon's confidence rose and he quickly readied himself for the next try. He got too eager though and paced towards Kangin without an actual plan behind it. He noticed this almost halfway there and fell into a slight panic. That was his mistake. Laying his trust at the feet of Lady Luck he aimed for the goal in the middle and watched with baited breath as it nearly went in but Kangin's hands were huge and with one grab he had the Quaffle in his right hand.

“Last try Taekwoon!” Kangin shouted as he threw the Quaffle at him. Taekwoon didn't have the time to beat himself right now and so he banished his self destructive thoughts from his mind – something that he had never done before, as he would notice later.

Still riding on a wave of happy feelings from his two previous goals he took a steadying breath and focused on the task. Taekwoon wasn't the type to make mistakes twice. This was his last try and he wanted to make it count, so he focused his whole attention on this single moment.

Other than the last times he did not go straight for Kangin again. This time he flew up, up, up and promptly dove down, past the hoops, almost touching the ground. Before that could happen though he shot up into the air again, right towards Kangin. The Keeper was visibly confused but there was a fire in his eyes that Taekwoon couldn't ignore. Instead he returned the stare with his own fire gaze as he faked right and threw the Quaffle straight through the left hoop.

Hollering cheers sounded around the Pitch, not only from the ground but also from those in the stands. Hakyeon's shouts overpowering the others. They locked eyes and he threw one of his biggest grins towards the Hufflepuff who only returned it in kind.

“Good job kid,” Kangin cried as he came over on his broom and gave Taekwoon a hearty slap on the back, almost knocking him off the broom. It didn't help that the elder had hit the exact same spot Taekwoon had made acquaintance with one of the Bludgers. Still the pain was second-rate seeing as Taekwoon's mind was overpowered by joy.

Taekwoon hurriedly thanked Kangin and landed back on the ground. He was once again pulled into a fierce hug by Eunkwang which Taekwoon reciprocated with the same fierceness.

“You were awesome!” Eunkwang shouted with stars in his eyes and Taekwoon couldn't even feel it in him to grow embarrassed at the compliment. “Three out of five is crazy!”

“Thank you,” Taekwoon said honestly grateful for his friends support.

A few others from the team congratulated him on a job well done before they moved on to the next contestant, Taeyeon. This time Taekwoon forced himself to watch. It would be rude of him not to. That decision also didn't turn out to be a mistake. Taeyeon was beautiful on the broom. Her long brown hair that was pulled into a long ponytail flapped widely in the wind and her whole aura screamed grace and power.

What was that line again?

_She's beauty, she's grace and she will punch you in the face?_

Right, that perfectly summed up her current performance. She was quick, cunning and as it turned out very observant. Taekwoon noticed two tricks he had pulled himself with slight deviations. With a cutting precision she managed to score with her first three attempts. It was amazing but after that it seemed like Kangin had seen through her tactics seeing as the last two shots did not meet their goal. Still an awesome performance and Taekwoon hoped that should he not be chosen for the position as Chaser then he really hoped it would be her. It wasn't fair on Minjun, Taekwoon knew, but Taeyeon was someone he considered a friend, whereas he had never really exchanged a word with Minjun. He was sure the brunet would make a great player but in his mind Taekwoon thought Taeyeon better than Minjun. Heck he even thought Taeyeon to be better than himself.

That was Taekwoon's opinion. Siwon and probably the rest of the team would be the ones deciding on who to accept. Taekwoon could not predict their reaction. Especially because Siwon had gone quiet. Other than with the first task he didn't say anything about their attempts. Taekwoon wasn't so sure if he liked that or if it unsettled him. Probably the latter.

Anyway, it was Minjun's try and he was good, Taekwoon had to admit that. Luck wasn't on his side though, seeing as only two out of the five shots went in. Probably also because Kangin had not forgotten Taekwoon and Taeyeon's strategies so those did not work too well for Minjun. Now Taekwoon was kind of glad that he had to go first, as mean as that sounded. They all still cheered for him. Eunkwang and Taeyeon even gave him a hug and that concluded the second task.

* * *

They got their last task from Sunny. The nickname really suited her seeing as her smile made her whole face light up and she had a very pleasing voice as well.

“Are you ready for your third and last task?”

The three contestants gave a strong yes.

“Great! Now for your last task you'll be doing the same thing as the keepers. I'll show you how to fly the lap and you have to copy me. Same rules as before: You've got one minute to complete the lap and are allowed to have three mistakes. As I said earlier, there will be no consequences if you don't manage it on time or if you make more than three mistakes. It could bring the decision though if some of you are nose to nose so I would concentrate, if I were you.”

It was a relieve that failing wouldn't lead to disqualifying for the position. Taekwoon knew he was fast. Siwon had said so himself and his memory was definitely not bad. It was actually quite good so theoretically speaking there should be no problem. Now he only had to hope that it would work in practice.

Sunny got on her broom and waited for Siwon to blow the whistle and suddenly she was gone. By the time Taekwoon caught sight of her again she was already whizzing through the towers surrounding the pitch, one after the other in a kind of zigzag motion and he started to take mental notes - _Always start from the left_. At the last one she flew around the very bottom and slowly worked her way to the top - _round the tower three times_ \- before moving on to the goals on the right side, wriggling through them in a 8 like movement – _start from the right side get out from the left_ \- before going for the goals on the other side and doing the same. After that she came back to the middle and flew up – _one, two, three, four seconds_ \- before diving down in a spinning motion - _three full spins_ \- and came to a halt right on centre.

Alright, that wasn't too hard. Taekwoon could easily do that. It was a pity though that he couldn't watch the others first. The one task where he would be last to accomplish was the one where they weren't allowed to see the others performance before them. It really was a shame, Taekwoon thought as Eunkwang put the blindfold around his eyes, that he wouldn't be able to watch. Not because he needed the time to remember but because he really wanted to see the others fly.

Taeyeon was the first one this time and Taekwoon could only imagine what it looked like. Okay well he couldn't picture her but he pictured the course so he wouldn't forget it. As soon as the whistle sounded he thought about the routine. He went through all the motions, being careful to remember all the details. There were a few “ah's” and “oh's” from the audience but Taeyeon finished by the same time Taekwoon had completed the course in his mind. Thunderous applause sounded from all around him and Taekwoon figured that Taeyeon had done an overall good job.

Next up was Minjun and Taekwoon did the same again. As soon as the whistle blew did he imagine the route as if he was flying it. He probably didn't even have to do that.

He and Hakyeon had done something similar very often during the summer. Whenever they flew on their brooms they took turns in choreographing difficult routines that the other had to follow. It was fun but Taekwoon usually lost because Hakyeon was naturally good at remembering a routine due to his dancing. Seriously, Hakyeon looked at a dance a few times and would already be able to do the basics. He's crazily good. Taekwoon wasn't so bad though seeing as he was simply faster. This last task was probably the easiest one and Taekwoon's confidence rose as did his adrenaline as it was finally his turn.

Taking off the blindfold Taekwoon took a moment to adjust to the bright light. Once they had adjusted he took a look around. Minjun looked well enough but Taeyeon seemed just the slightest bit muffed. Maybe it didn't go as well as she had thought. Taekwoon knew that feeling.

“Good luck!” Eunkwang's voice pulled Taekwoon out of his musings as he gave him a thumbs up. He didn't have time to worry about the others routine. There was his own performance to focus on.

“Thanks,” Taekwoon answered and mounted his broom probably for the last time today. He nodded at Siwon to signal that he was ready and waited for the whistle that would announce the start of his last task. This was the final moment where he could make an impression.

The whistle sounded.

And an impression he would make, Taekwoon thought as he took off into the air. The routine came to him as easily as breathing.

Fly through the towers from left to right. With each tower he gained speed. Just like Sunny did he took three rounds around the last tower as the crisp air sliced at his face. Next up were the two eights around the goals on the right side. The same goals he had managed to score three goals against Kangin. He did the same for the hoops on the left side, being careful to start from the right and get out on the left. Then onward to the middle where he closed his eyes and went up, gaining altitude with each second he counted in his head. It was exhilarating and freeing and Taekwoon's mind was so focused that as soon as his count had reached four he opened his eyes and dove down in one sharp motion enjoying the swoop in his stomach as he did three full spins and finally came to a stop in the centre.

There was excited shouting from the right side were everyone else was and Taekwoon never felt as free as in that moment as he joined the others. Everything he had gone through today had left an amazing feeling in Taekwoon's body behind. A feeling that he only knew from back when he did Soccer.

Taekwoon really, _really_ wanted to make it onto the team.

First though they were kept waiting as the team discussed who they'd think best for the offered positions. It was a new kind of nerve wrecking as minutes stretched into hours. Luckily he had his friends. Now that the trials were over the audience was allowed back on the pitch. This meant that in a matter of moments Taekwoon and Eunkwang were surrounded by their roommates plus Hakyeon.

“See! I knew you could do it!”

Taekwoon smiled and returned Hakyeon's bear hug. From his right he could hear Eunkwang's deflated sighing.

“I think I messed up...”

“You weren't _that_ bad,” Kisu answered with a honest laugh as he thumped Eunkwang's back in sympathy.

“But I was bad, right? Today just wasn't my day.”

“Well the results aren't there yet so you shouldn't think like that already,” Hakyeon said as he let go of Taekwoon to throw his arms around Eunkwang instead. “For what it's worth: I think both of you did an amazing job!”

“He's right,” Doojoon agreed, “you can be proud of even attending the Tryouts in the first place.”

He was right. For Taekwoon it had been a gigantic hurdle to jump over. Looking back to when he hid under his bed in hopes of avoiding the Tryouts Taekwoon is very glad that Hakyeon hadn't let him off the hook. Also he was very glad for Shadow for leading Hakyeon to him. It seriously wasn't as bad as Taekwoon had imagined the Tryouts to go. No one laughed at him, he didn't run away and he gave an – in his opinion – acceptable performance. Seriously, there was nothing he'd do differently because right at the moment he was very proud of himself, no matter what the results were. Sure, he'd be sad if he didn't make the team but at least he tried and gave it his best. Whatever the decision would be, Taekwoon would take it.

Speaking of decision-

“Gather around you lot!” Siwon shouted, effectively grabbing their attention.

The crowed drew close around Siwon and the Quidditch team. Besides the five contestants there were of course Doojoon, Kisu and Hakyeon but also some people Taekwoon didn't know. Probably friends of the other three. They were definitely not from Gryffindor. Taekwoon had a hard time remembering the names of everyone in his house already and the couple of Hufflepuff's that hung around Hakyeon. Everyone outside that was just too much unimportant information for now.

Anyway, Taekwoon had to focus on the here and now.

“Alright, after we had some talks we finally came to a decision.”

“Well, two decisions,” Kangin added and got a nod from Siwon.

“You all did very well today and you can seriously be proud of your performance. We usually don't get such a talented group.” The rest of the team and the onlookers applauded. This time Taekwoon really couldn't help the reddening of his cheeks but he would not succumb to his embarrassment. They all deserved it.

“Still we can only pick two of you and we'll start,” Siwon continued as he took a quick look at his clipboard, “with the Keeper.”

Kangin stepped forward and with a satisfied grin announced, “Gryffindor's substitute Keeper will be-

Kim Taeyeon!”

Taeyeon seemed to take a moment to process the information before a face splitting grin spread over her lips, lighting up her whole aura. The blond girl next to her didn't waste any time in jumping her friend. Said friend had a hard time keeping her balance and together they tumbled into a mess of limbs on the ground, shouting and laughing in joy. It was completely heart-warming to watch and Taekwoon was seriously glad, that Taeyeon had gotten a spot on the team. Not that he had doubted it.

Once the two girls managed to stand up again the rest of the Gryffindor team came over to give her a warm welcome, as did the other contestants including Taekwoon.

“I'm really glad for you. You are an amazing person,” Taekwoon said, genuinely happy for her and gave her shoulder a pat. That though wasn't enough for the black haired and she threw her arms around Taekwoon in a strong embrace. Slightly taken by surprise Taekwoon hesitated before returning the hug.

“Thank you, Taekwoon!” she exclaimed and added a bit softer, “You deserve a spot on the team as well.” Of course that lead to Taekwoon's face being set aflame and he stuttered a hurried thank you as Taeyeon let go of him with a wink before going back over to her friend. Taekwoon just hoped no one saw his beet red face.

It was then that Siwon clapped his hand to get everyone's attention again. “Now that that's out of the way, lets announce who'll take the place as Gryffindors substitute chaser.”

Taekwoon's nerves started to go crazy again. It was finally time to see if he was actually good enough. He felt two hands gripping his. On his left there was Eunkwang who, despite being sad about not making it onto the team, threw Taekwoon an encouraging smile as he pressed Taekwoon's left hand.

The one grabbing his right hand was none other than Hakyeon, sharing his warmth with Taekwoon. He could also feel Kisu and Doojoon on his back and seriously, Taekwoon was so glad for his friends. Without them there to support him he'd probably have lost consciousness a few times over.

“Gryffindors Chaser, who'll replace me next year is,” Siwon said and drew out the 'is' to make the tension rise, “Jung Taekwoon!”

The words didn't get to Taekwoon until there were several pairs of arms around him. Even then he couldn't do anything but stare. Surely this was a dream. But it couldn't be, not with the feeling of being chocked by his friends. This was real. Taekwoon had been accepted into the team. He'd actually play for Gryffindor.

“I _knew_ you'd make it!” Only when Hakyeon's crystal clear voice reached his ears did everything settle in. And only then turned his facial features into what was possibly the biggest grin Taekwoon's face had ever done. His cheeks hurt from how broad his smile was.

“You did a solid job out there,” Siwon started again, once Taekwoon's friends had let go of him. “Sure you're reflexes need a bit of tweaking but you make up for it with your burning determination and that's exactly what a team needs.”

“Thank you! I'll do my best!”

“Wow, I don't think I've ever heard you talking this loud,” Eunhyuk commented and Taekwoon wasn't fast enough to avoid the headlock Eunhyuk put him in. Though it was familiar by now and Taekwoon didn't mind too much right now. The endorphins were rushing with high speed through his body and shut off every other negative feelings Taekwoon might have had.

This year was definitely off to a better start than last year and it could only go up from here on, Taekwoon thought. He couldn't wait to tell his family about it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taekwoon's hiding under the bed again because Quidditch...

Taekwoon quickly learnt that being on the Quidditch team was absolutely amazing. Sure, training three times a week was completely exhausting but one got used to it. Especially Taekwoon, who had taken up jogging in the morning for about 30 minutes before breakfast. He loved the exercise and it usually freed his mind from whatever troubles the night had brought.

Being on the team also had the positive effect of Taekwoon communicating more. With every training he'd get more comfortable around his teammates and they'd soon formed a close knitted bond which Taekwoon wouldn't want to miss. He found his teammates nothing short of amazing and everyone was just so friendly and helpful and especially fun to be around. Taekwoon would leave every training with joy and elation sparking through his entire body and a giddiness to his steps that was completely unheard of Taekwoon.

Not only was he warming up to his teammates but also the other people around him. Quidditch gave him a kind of confidence that allowed him to actually participate in conversations. Quidditch was something he was good at and he was proud of that and a lot of people praised him for his skills. While praise still made Taekwoon blush in embarrassment, he didn't have the urge to hide anymore. His voice was still small and quiet but it had also gained a boost in it's steadiness. Even his teachers noticed the improvement. While not often, Taekwoon would actually raise his hand and actively participate in the lessons, without further motivation. Because of Hakyeon's training during the summer he'd also bettered his transfiguration skills and was now only slightly lacking. It was just a bit difficult for Taekwoon to grasp the transfiguration spells on his first try. Or even at his tenth try. Luckily he had Hakyeon who was only too willing to go over their notes together and give Taekwoon extra lessons.

All in all, Taekwoon could say that his school life had vastly improved by his acceptance to the Quidditch team. Right at the moment though, Taekwoon's stomach was turning itself on his head as he lived through a feeling of deja-vu. The cold hard castle floor beneath him and the underside of his bed in front of him while a partial darkness surrounded him in his little sanctuary. His roommates had long left for breakfast and luckily didn't notice him under his bed. He'd heard them speculate that Taekwoon was already down by the hall. Good. Taekwoon didn't need them to find his sorry self in that position.

The big question though was: _Why_? The last time Taekwoon had hidden under his bed was the day of the Quidditch tryouts 7 months ago. That obviously wasn't the case today. No, Taekwoon was hiding because today was the last game of the inter-house cup, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. On itself nothing that would warrant such drastic measures. The truly scary thing though was that their last practice ended with a nastily injured Hyoyeon, one of their chasers. She'd be alright eventually but Nurse Kim crushed their hopes of her playing for the upcoming game.

Luckily they had Taekwoon for that case. He was a reserve player and would do extremely well in filling the Chaser position, right? _Wrong_. Taekwoon was – or rather has been- one big ball of panic and anxieties since Siwon informed him of his involvement in the last game of the year. It was one thing to practice with his teammates and a completely other thing to play in an _actual_ game. No less one that could decide the winner of the inter-house cup. Currently Gryffindor was tied with Ravenclaw in the overall ranking but still a few hundred points behind Hufflepuff. With the right amount of points though Gryffindor could throw Hufflepuff of the pedestal but so could Ravenclaw. Ironic that it was exactly those two teams that would be competing in the last match of the year.

Obviously this put an _immense_ pressure on Taekwoon, one he hadn't felt since that time in first year when he had learnt about the house cup. Seriously, Taekwoon would have played every other game during the year but not the final fucking match that would decide their team's whole fate. Gods, if they lost it would probably all be his fault. He shouldn't even have been on the field. Hyoyeon was so much better than him and that would be a sound explanation should they lose.

Taekwoon couldn't do it and so he found himself in his newfound sanctuary of solitude. Well not exactly solitude seeing as Shadow was there with him, snuggled up in the crook of his neck. Still, there wouldn't be anyone judging him. Even if he'd had gone down for breakfast, there was no chance he would have gotten down anything at all. This in return would have led to questions and his teammates probably noticing that he was a nervous mess and that it was a bad decision to take him onto their team.

Despite all the good it had done for Taekwoon he couldn't help but ask himself: Why the fuck did he think it was a good idea to try out for the team? He's had this argument with himself before but couldn't help it resurfacing. It wasn't embarrassment that was holding him back. He could play in front of a crowd, had done so in the past when he was still in primary school. But usually those soccer games weren't about anything. There were no real consequences of loosing. It was all about getting rid of excess energy and having fun. That's also what he'd told himself about getting on the Quidditch team. It was only until Hyoyeon's injury that he completely understood the graveness of his decision. Those games weren't just about fun. It was about pride and winning the inter-house cup as well as earning a fair amount of house points. Suddenly the stakes have risen and Taekwoon was scared that he'd disappoint everyone. It's not like he couldn't just not turn up. That would end horrible and was also a grave hit towards his teammates trust. There would be no one who'd still accept Taekwoon should he not turn up. He'd be all by his lonely self. But if he turned up and they lost, everyone would be mad with him, surely they would, because he's the new guy.

Taekwoon groaned as if in pain and rubbed his hands over his face. The motion jostling Shadow who gave a grumpy hiss, followed by a quick apology on Taekwoon's side. For the first time in a year Taekwoon wished to be home again. He wished that nothing of this magic stuff had happened and that he could just sit in class with his friends and pretend to have a normal life. His therapist would be disappointed if she could hear his thoughts right now. Taekwoon had made such great progress and he was ruining it right now.

“Why can't I be normal...?” Taekwoon asked Shadow who just stared at him with huge eyes. Of course he wouldn't get an answer. It was still nice to pretend that she could understand him. Despite what he had expected though, there was an answer. Not necessarily from Shadow.

“Normal is boring.”

There was a shuffling of feet and a body hitting the floor before one of his light sources was blocked by a dark figure. Of course Taekwoon could still make out who it was, even if there was nothing but darkness around them. Had he really been so immersed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard anyone entering?

Taekwoon sighed in exasperation but couldn't help the relief washing through his body. Of course it would be Hakyeon that found him. Taekwoon wouldn't have it any other way. If anyone else had found him he'd probably merged with the floor in embarrassment. Maybe he should look for another hideout.

“Don't even think about hiding somewhere else,” Hakyeon said as if he could hear his every thought. Taekwoon wasn't surprised. Hakyeon could read people like an open book, he didn't need to see their thoughts. “If it wasn't for Shadow I'd still be wandering around the castle looking for you the first time you hid here.”

“Why are you here?”

“Good morning to you too,” Hakyeon exclaimed sarcastically and adjusted his body into a more comfortable position, occasionally ramming an elbow or a knee into Taekwoon's side. “Sorry, it's a bit tight under here.”

“It's not meant to house two people...” Taekwoon mumbled and looked away towards Shadow who was busy cleaning herself.

“If ramming you with my elbows is the price to pay I don't mind. Now tell me why you've hidden yourself away.”

“How did you find me...? You shouldn't even be here.”

“Yeah, as if that's ever stopped me before,” Hakyeon huffed and finally stopped his wriggling. “Your roommates were looking for you, said you weren't in your room. Seeing as you weren't at breakfast they asked me if I'd seen you. Then I heard someone mention the Gryffindor-Ravencalw match today and I knew exactly were I could find you. You better be grateful I didn't tell Eunkwang and the others...”

“Hm.”

Hakyeon sighed and propped his head up on an elbow, mustering Taekwoon's blank face. His eyes had gone back to studying the underside of his mattress. No doubt Hakyeon had seen his body tensing up.

“You're scared of the game, right?”

Taekwoon answered by shrugging his shoulders and clenching his teeth. No, he would not cry.

A feather light touch came upon his shoulder, barely there. “Would you believe me if I said that there's no reason for that?” No answer. “There really isn't though. You've trained so much, Taekwoon.” It was a sign of Hakyeon's seriousness seeing as he wasn't even using a nickname. “I watched some of your training's and you are amazing!”

“You don't mean that...”

The touch to his shoulder grew in strength. “I would never lie to you Taekwoon, you know that.” Yes, Taekwoon knew this but he just couldn't help his treacherous mind from going to places it shouldn't go. “I've heard Siwon and the others talk, they think your a fine addition to the team. They- _We_ are all so proud of you, going out of your comfort zone and giving it your all. I know for a fact that you often stay after practice to keep on training. There's literally no one more suitable to fill Hyoyeon's position than you.”

Despite Taekwoon's dark thoughts, Hakyeon's words spread like a gentle fire throughout his body. As always, Hakyeon's voice was soothing the frayed edges of his consciousness like sweet honey. “Thank you,” he mumbled bashfully, happy that it was dark down here and Hakyeon couldn't see the blush colouring his cheeks.

“Don't thank me for stating the obvious,” Hakyeon answered with a soft smile. The hand on his shoulder began gently stroking up and down, coaxing Taekwoon's body to release it's tension. Of course it worked because Hakyeon had magical hands and Taekwoon was sure Hakyeon wasn't just a simply human being. For all he knew Hakyeon was something devein, sent from higher up to make this world a brighter place. What did Taekwoon do to deserve to be graced with such a being?

“And to get back to your question: I wouldn't want you to be normal because that would make you into something else that you just aren't. You are unique and you have such a special soul that normal could never do you justice. Also, who says what's normal? For all we know normal could be a ten feet tall bunny with spikes and rainbow coloured fur.” That got a laugh out of Taekwoon. The description painted a very funny picture in his mind. “'Normal' is everything you make it be. I for my part think being scared about a big game and trying to avoid being put under pressure from others is perfectly normal behaviour.”

Taekwoon's eyes searched those of Hakyeon and even though it was darker under here he could still see the glaringly bright honesty in those chocolate coloured orbs. Obviously Hakyeon was correct, like always and Taekwoon sighed, one hand coming up to cover the one placed on his shoulder. He didn't say anything, not that he needed to anyway. Hakyeon understood him like no one else and would know what his gesture meant.

It was at that moment, Taekwoon's stomach choose to remind them of its existence. Maybe he shouldn't have skipped breakfast.

“Come one,” Hakyeon said gently and squeezed his hand one last time before letting go, “let's see if we can find something to eat for you. Wouldn't want your stomach to distract you from the game.”

It took Taekwoon a few more moments of deep breaths until he finally felt ready to face the world again and emerged from under his bed, Shadow right behind him. Hakyeon came around the bed, pulling something out of his pocket. “Show me your left wrist.” Taekwoon did as he was told albeit a bit unsure as Hakyeon came closer.

“I've meant to give you this during breakfast,” stated Hakyeon and tied a soft band around his wrist. It was about two fingers broad and made of yellow and black coloured chord braided into each other, creating a beautiful zig-zag pattern. “It's a friendship bracelet in Hufflepuff colours, you know, for luck. I've got a similar one,” Hakyeon explained and brandished his left wrist, “just with Gryffindor colours.” And sure enough it was the same braided zig-zag pattern with red and yellow coloured chord.

Taekwoon's brain was short circuiting, trying to process what just happened but came up empty handed. Words evaded him and his mind was blessedly empty, working on emergency powers. Looking up from the two bracelets Taekwoon was met with a broad grin, crinkling Hakyeon's eyes.

“Do you like them? I've made them myself and thought it would be-” But Taekwoon didn't let him finish and promptly wrapped the Hufflepuff in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” Taekwoon whispered softly, meaning it with all his heart. Hakyeon's surprise quickly disappeared as he returned the hug, just as tightly.

“You're going to do great, Taekwoon, never doubt yourself.” Taekwoon nodded as answer and carefully disentangled himself from the other. Hakyeon was still grinning up at him but it was so gentle and serene that Taekwoon could have stared at it for hours on end without getting tired.

Alas, Taekwoon's stomach ruined the moment by giving a loud roar, making the two of them break out into a round of giggles.

“We should really feed the monster your hiding in there,” teased Hakyeon and poked Taekwoon's stomach, eliciting a gasp from the latter.

Maybe this wouldn't turn into such a disaster as Taekwoon's mind had made it out to be. Hakyeon was always right. Back in their first year he reassured him that talking to his housemates would not make them hate him. Before the Quidditch tryouts he assured him that there was no reason to be scared. He'd been correct with both these predictions. This game wouldn't be any different.

If Hakyeon said he could do it, he would.

After Hakyeon's little pep talk it was surprisingly easy to keep at least some of his breakfast down. By the time they'd arrived at the great hall most of Hogwarts students had already left, including his Gryffindor teammates. Probably already warming up, making the whole affair a bit easier.

Once the last student had finished, Taekwoon figured that there was no more reason to draw out the inevitable any longer.

“Don't worry about a thing,” Hakyeon reassured him as they left the great hall. “As long as you stay focused and give it your all, there's no one that will have anything to complain about. And if it's about the people watching, don't worry. I'll rope Minhyuk, Eunkwang, Kisu and Doojoon into cheering so loud that it will overpower everyone else.”

And with that they parted, Hakyeon to do whatever it was he did and Taekwoon of to the Quidditch Pitch.

* * *

“You alright there Taekwoon?” It was Donghae's hand patting his back from where he sat on Taekwoon's right side. Currently they found themselves in the changing rooms, putting on their gear. Taekwoon was just finishing up by putting on his gloves when the older Beater spoke. Not trusting his voice to come out steady he just nodded and focused on the task at hand. His nerves were going mental.

A second presence settled itself on Taekwoon's other side and threw and arm around his shoulders. “Don't worry so much or else you'll put a hole through the floor with your bouncing...” Only then did Taekwoon notice the nervous motion of his left leg. When had that started? He'd never done that before. Great, his nerves had found a new outlet.

“He's right you know,” Victoria said and crouched in front of Taekwoon on the floor, “You're not alone out there. We're all one team and you _mister_ , are a fine addition to this team.”

Victoria was joined on the floor by Kangin. “Yeah, we've all seen you practice. Just put everything you've learnt at practice into action and those Ravens won't stand a chance.” Taekwoon nodded. He's kept up with practice quite well and knew that he was good. His mind just didn't want to accept that fact.

“You wouldn't be here if we didn't think you could pull it off,” their captain added, his lips stretched into a warm smile. “And besides, there's no more time for take backs. Come on guys and girls, it's almost time for us to go out!”

Around him everyone sprung up from their positions with fire in their eyes and a fierce determination in their stance. Taking a deep breath and finishing with his glove Taekwoon stood as well and completed the circle around Siwon.

“Now listen closely,” Siwon said and met everyone's eyes, “We are Gryffindors. We are one team and if we fight we fight together, we win together and we lose together. We are daring, determined and fiercely loyal to our house. We are the fire that will burn our opponents to the ground and we'll win this damn Cup!”

Siwon stretched his left hand and everyone followed, putting their left hand on top of each other, even Taekwoon. Siwon's words took some of his nerves. Taekwoon was not alone, he could definitely do this.

With a loud shout of “Go Lions” they threw their hands in the air and grabbed their brooms. Outside the crowd was cheering loudly, everyone excited for the final match of the year. The team lined up. Siwon in front, followed by Kangin and Sunny, Victoria and Taekwoon and finally Eunhyuk and Donghae building the end. And like this they mounted their brooms, put on some goggles and left the room as one single unit.

“ _And here come our Lions!_ ” The commentator shouted as the pitch was drowned in cheers. Taekwoon had known that there'd be a lot of people but he hadn't imagined this huge audience. There was literally no more free space, everyone squished together on the ranks shouting and waving flags and banners in the air. It was an ocean of red-yellow and blue-silver. A cold sweat spread over Taekwoon's body as anxiety creeped back into his mind. He had to move, quick.

Taekwoon was off. It wasn't a cold day but up in the air the wind was slicing at his face forcing his hair back. Being in the air was simply amazing and made it easier to tune out everyone else. Despite all those practice sessions Taekwoon never really tired of flying. It was simply the best feeling in the world.

There was still some time until the game began and everyone was doing some practice rounds. Once or twice Taekwoon almost collided with a Ravenclaw because he was so focused on the feeling of flying. His reflexes still weren't the fastest but he had improved immensely. Hopefully it would be enough for today's game.

The commentators voice rang through Taekwoon's thoughts again.

“ _While the teams are warming up, let's take a closer look at today's player!_ ” shouted Kim Ryeowook a 4th year Hufflepuff and a friend of Hakyeon. Taekwoon had met him before and thought he was nice enough. Like Hakyeon he was more on the outgoing side and therefore talked a bit too much for Taekwoon's liking. It wasn't bad though. He had a very pleasant voice, so Taekwoon didn't mind too much.

“ _Playing for Ravenclaw today we have the beaters Kim Jonghoon and Jung Jessica, a fearsome duo if you ask me. They are beauty, they are grace, they will punch you in the face!_ ” There were laughs all around and Jonghoon made a show of throwing him a kiss.

“ _Next up we've got their Captain and Chaser Kwon Jiyong. Don't let yourself be fooled by his fierce looks, he's actually a real sweetheart. Supporting him are Kim Jinhee and Oh Seungah and let me tell you, these ladies make stealing the Quaffle look like art._ ” The three in question just shook their head and went back to discussing something. Probably strategies, Taekwoon thought.

“ _But let's not forget about Park Yoochun probably the best Keeper Ravenclaw has seen in years! At least from what I've seen during my four years here. Last but definitely not least the magnificent Seeker Cao Lu! Blink and you'll miss here snatching the snitch right under your nose!_ ” Loud cries of Lu's name reached Taekwoon's ears. He had to admit that she was good but Sunny was better.

“ _Coming up next we have Gryffindor, lead by the Chaser with the most expressive eyebrows in all of Hogwarts, Choi Siwon!_ ” As if to underline Ryeowook's statement Siwon gave his brows a short wiggle before ending it with a wink. You could literally hear several hearts break.

“ _Chaser number two for Gryffindor is non other than the charming Song Victoria! Her passes are always on point! Completing the trio is a little surprise! Poor Kim Hyoyeon got herself a pretty nasty back injury and therefore won't be able to play today. Not to worry though, because in her stead we have our shy lion prince, Jung Taekwoon!_ ”

Taekwoon chocked on his spit and feared falling of his broom for a moment. There was cheerful laughter and excited shouts at the prospect of seeing him play. Why would Ryeowook say such a thing? He knows Taekwoon hates being embarrassed. To Taekwoon's horror he wasn't finished.

“ _Unbelievable that such an adorable thing will replace our big bad wolf Siwon next year! Let's see how he fares in his first official match today. I'm excited, are you?_ ” cries of agreement hollered around the pitch and for a moment Taekwoon thought about ramming himself into the ground. A concussion would definitely get him out of this embarrassing situation. Luckily though Ryeowook moved on.

“ _Two more interesting players are the lion's beaters Lee Donghae and Lee Eunhyuk! They are charming alright, but they are also a duo with possibly telepathic powers. I mean, have you seen them play before? It's like they can read each others mind and just complete the other. Truly magnificent._ ” The beaters in question gave a little show of posing with their bats. Taekwoon wasn't sure if it should look threatening or funny. Seems like not even the two of them know the answer to that.

“ _Speaking of magnificent: You know who's also a total delight? Lee Soonkyu, Gryffindor's seeker! She is 1,50m compact power and quick as lightning. She will not give Lu an easy win, that much is sure. Oh and of course we can't forget the Guardian of the Rings Kim Youngwoon! He will not let any Quaffle pass!_ ”

There was another round of applause once Ryeowook had finally finished their introduction and the players came to a stop in the middle of the pitch, where Ms. Cho had placed a big brown chest. She unlatched the shaking trunk that contained all the balls and opened it. In a blur of gold the Snitch fluttered briefly around both seekers heads before ultimately disappearing. Shortly after she unleashed the Bludgers and grabbed the Quaffle as the adrenaline in Taekwoon's body rose. He just needed to focus on the game, focus on winning. That was a sure way of distracting him from every unnecessary thought. This was fine.

Finally the whistle was blown and like harpies the six Chasers fought for it's possession.

“ _And they are off_ ,” Ryeowook shouted to the ear deafening shouts of the audience. “ _Raven's in possession! Jiyong is on his way towards the goals- now without the Quaffle! Brilliant steal from Gryffindor's Captain! Jonghoon reacts by slamming a Bludger his way and- it's quickly deflected by Donghae and sent right back to it's sender!_ ”

Taekwoon didn't just wait around of course. As quick as possible he joined Siwon, closely followed by Victoria. Siwon leant down on his broom to increase the sped as he approached the lower right of the three to attract Yoochun's attention. Taekwoon knew exactly what would happen next. The moment Yoochun tried to block Siwon's shot he changed his trajectory and the Quaffle landed right in Taekwoon's hands. Without losing another second he aimed for the left ring and-

“ _Score!!!_ ” The whole of Gryffindor let out a loud cry of joy and Taekwoon's heart soared. “ _What an excellent display of teamwork and would you look at that: Jung Taekwoon, only reserve player for this year, has scored the first ten points of the match! I say he has a promising career with Gryffindor._ ”

“See?” Victoria exclaimed with a clap to Taekwoon's shoulder. “I told you you could do it. Now come on let's destroy Ravenclaw.” And off she went. Even the last cell of his brain had now accepted the fact that he could do this. There was no doubt that he was holding the team back. This was Taekwoon's chance to prove himself and to do Hyoyeon proud.

As per the rules Yoochun brought the Quaffle back into the game by throwing it in a straight path to Seungah.

“ _Seungah is taking the Quaffle right back down the field. Gryffindor Beater Eunhyuk slams a Bludger her way but she doges and quickly passes to Jiyong, who zooms right past the Lion's captain Siwon. He passes onto Jinhee, who is now within the scoring area! Jinhee shoots, Gryffindor Keeper Kangin dives and- saves the Quaffle!_ ”

From his position Taekwoon had a clear view of Sunny circling the pitch in search of the Snitch but oddly enough Lu was nowhere to be seen. Taekwoon couldn't focus for long as he caught the pass from Siwon.

“Stop dreaming, Taekwoon!”

You didn't need to tell him twice.

“ _Siwon passes to Taekwoon, who quickly ducks under Ravenclaw beater Jessica. He makes to pass and- oh, that's got to hurt!_ ”

While Taekwoon managed to dodge Jessica he hadn't noticed the Bludger sent his way by Jonghoon and promptly got hit in the side. It hurt but Taekwoon could take it. He remembered the day of the tryouts. Way more Bludgers had managed to maltreat Taekwoon's body and he still hadn't budged. What he lacked in reflexes he made up for in stubbornness. Clutching the Quaffle tightly into his chest he flew in a straight line for the goal, Seungah and Jinhee hot on his heels. He knew that they'd try to corner him but before they had a chance Taekwoon passed to Victoria who was in the perfect position to score.

“ _Another goal for Gryffindor this time by the brilliant Victoria!_ ” Ryeowook's voice shouted firing up the masses. “ _But let's not forget the one who made it possible, Jung Taekwoon, a name you should definitely keep in mind! That boy didn't even so much as flinch at the Bludger hitting him, how lit is that?!_ ” Oddly enough Taekwoon didn't feel one ounce of embarrassment at the comment. He almost felt elated at the praise of his skills and it just made his determination fiercer.

Spurred on by the two goals Ravenclaw began upping their game. Taekwoon watched and cringed as Jiyong snatched the Quaffle right out of an unclean pass from Taekwoon to Siwon. He'd been too hasty but in his defence, there were two chasers cornering him again. Jiyong quickly scanned his surroundings and locked eyes with Seungah. Trying to right his little mistake Taekwoon made to intercept the pass but it was too high up and landed directly in Seungah's arms. He watched as the Ravenclaw chaser did a quick loop to dodge an incoming Bludger before maneuvering herself in front of the left hoop. She flew as close as possible and made the motion to throw but in the last second Seungah gave a quick flick to her broom and changed it's direction to the right were Kangin had left the goal unprotected and the first ten points for Ravenclaw were safe.

With the Quaffle back in the game on Gryffindor's side Taekwoon took advantage of the fact that his path continued without being interrupted to travel much of the field with the ball under his possession until he managed to find himself only a few centimeters from the Ravenclaw hoops. In that same moment though, Taekwoon saw a Bludger coming straight for him and already readied himself for impact. It never came. Eunhyuk was there as if summoned.

“Try to hit our Taekwoon again and we'll show you the definition of hell!” Taekwoon was strangely touched by that. He could count on his team to have his back. With a quick thanks he continued his way to the goals. He didn't have enough time to ready a special maneuver seeing as both Siwon and Victoria were marked by a Ravenclaw chaser. Taekwoon didn't have another chance and therefore just went for luck as the Quaffle left his hand. It wasn't a solid throw and Yoochun made quick work of deflecting it. Still it was a try.

After that the points flowed more easily but it also became very balanced. Whenever one team was in the lead the other would pull a clever move and quickly catch up. By the time the clock counted around half an hour the score was 110-120 for Ravenclaw. It was also there when the Snitch made its first appearance. One moment Ravenclaw was celebrating their goal when Ryeowook suddenly mentioned the Snitch. Apparently Lu had spotted it first and had a little head start. Not to worry though. Sunny was just as quick to realize what Lu was doing and so fast that Taekwoon couldn't even see it she was already catching up to the Ravenclaw chaser.

“That's our chance Taekwoon!” Out of instinct Taekwoon reached out his hand and accepted Siwon's pass. He was right, Everyone seemed to have frozen at the sudden Snitch sighting that they forgot what they were doing. Without wasting another second he speed up towards Ravenclaws goal. Donghae had snapped out of his trance relatively fast and flew alongside the two to deflect any incoming Bludgers. Together with Victoria and Eunhyuk they built an impenetrable wall.

It was time to try another move they had worked on during practice. Taekwoon threw a short pass to Victoria who overtook him. Siwon joined her in the front, effectively hiding Taekwoon from sight. While Yoochun was focused on them Taekwoon gave a minuscule flick with his hand and changed his course. Victoria made to throw but instead of forwards she passed backwards, fully trusting that Taekwoon would catch it. He did not disappoint her and in one fluid motion he threw the Quaffle to the outer left hoop.

“ _Score Gryffindor! Did you see that?! A backwards pass! You need some serious trust to pull that one off. Poor Yoochun had no chance in defending that one and so Gryffindor evens the scoreboard._ ” Had Ryeowook not shouted into his microphone no one would have probably heard him. The Gryffindor cheering had gotten so loud that it tuned out everything else. Surprisingly enough there was one voice that especially stood out to Taekwoon. He didn't know how it was possible in such a volume but he could actually hear Hakyeon's screams.

Turning his head slightly to the left it didn't take long for him to catch sight of his favourite Hufflepuff standing admits the colourful group of people Taekwoon was allowed to call his friends. Now Taekwoon also had a suspicion what Hakyeon had been doing when he left for practice this morning. There in his hand was a big red sign with the words “ _Taekwoonie is the best_ ” written in broad black letters on it. It was also smothered in drawings of lions and flowers and other random patterns. Oh and it was covered in a copious amount of golden glitter. In short, it was a huge sparkly red mess and Taekwoon absolutely loved it.

The game went on for another twenty minutes and slowly but surely the energy was draining out of everybody, especially Taekwoon. During training they'd never played whole game from start to finish and even then it was interrupted with impromptu lessons of how to better your pose or centre yourself on the broom. This right now was way more exhausting and his body _hurt_. Despite Eunhyuk's warning Taekwoon had gotten his fair share of Bludgers. While he didn't let them bother him before the pain was slowly catching up to him. Taekwoon wasn't so sure he could simply wave the next Bludger away.

Luckily there'd been a third sighting of the Snitch and Taekwoon prayed that Sunny would finally catch it. They desperately needed it in order to win. Gryffindor was with 240 points only ten points behind Ravenclaw and it would surely go on like that. Everyone and their mother knew that the only way for a winner was to catch that god damn Snitch.

Taekwoon spotted Sunny and Lu chasing after the winged ball in a downwards spiral. It was almost too much too watch but in the last second both pulled up and out of their dive as they began flying directly towards the goal where Kangin had to dive out of the way to avoid getting hit since they were too focused on the Snitch to pay attention to anyone else. They were up neck to neck shoving at each other and everyone quickly learnt to get out of their way. More than once they had intercepted a Pass from the chasers making the Quaffle fall into the hands of the other team. So completely focused on their chase the beaters didn't even have a chance to send Bludgers their way.

The crowd was going wild, only fired on by Ryeowook's frantic commentary. Taekwoon got in two more goals with the help of Victoria and Siwon but so did the Eagles. The score was 270-260 for Ravenclaw when the seekers finally got into the last phase of their chase. Taekwoon kept track of the battle while carrying the Quaffle towards Ravenclaws goals every now and then passing it off to Siwon or Victoria. With baited breath he watched as Lu's arm stretched towards the fluttering golden ball hovering in the air but then, in the last second Sunny's arm knocked hers out of the way and she closed her fist around the Snitch.

All at once the pitch is flooded with Gryffindor's victory cries. “ _Sunny gets the Snitch! Gryffindor wins with 420-260!_ ”

“Taekwoon!” Turning his head in the callers direction the last thing he saw was the Bludger heading for him. A sharp pain registered in his head before his world went black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Taekwoon's fall.

When Taekwoon first regained his consciousness there was a horrible ache in his head and so, so many voices. There were hands touching him and why were those voices so damn loud? He couldn't make out any words just noise. Loud noise grating at his nerves. Taekwoon tried to open his eyes but quickly gave up. Everything was simply to blurry and bright giving a sharp stab through his sensitive eyes. Better to keep them closed.

A groan escaped his throat when the hands touching him began jostling him. He felt as if he was floating which was _not_ good. All the movement worsened his state. His head felt like splitting itself apart and he needed it to stop. More jostling and suddenly his stomach lurched as bail burned up his throat. Was he dying? It sure felt like it and-

Everything went dark again.

The second time Taekwoon came to it was with only a dull throb at the back of his head. Grateful for the relieve he took a deep breath and tried to open his eyes. It wasn't as bright as before but still blurry as hell. He tried to focus on something but stopped when his eyes started to sting. Taekwoon had to admit that, not knowing where he was, scared him. It couldn't be anywhere dangerous judging by the warm and comfortable bed he was laying in. How had he gotten there? Last time the surface he was laying on was way harder and kind of cold. What happened

Taekwoon flinched as the throbbing in his head got stronger. Thinking, apparently, wasn't something his brain preferred right now so he should better leave it. Not that he had much of an option seeing as he was pulled back into darkness.

The third time Taekwoon woke the pain was almost gone. His head felt kind of woozy but it didn't hurt. He was still lying in that comfortable bed so he hadn't been moved again. Taking a couple of deep breaths Taekwoon tried to open his eyes. It was bright but not unpleasant though it still took him four tries to properly force his eyes open. There was no pain accompanying the motion and to Taekwoon's relieve, the blurriness was also gone.

Finally his eyes could focus on his surroundings. Ah, he was in the hospital wing. That explains why he was feeling so much pain before. Something had happened. But what? Looking around as if the room could answer his question Taekwoon's eyes landed on a splash of colour on his wrist.

 _Hakyeon's bracelet_ , his mind supplied helpfully and all of a sudden the memories came back. The Quidditch match. They were winning and he was pretty sure Sunny even caught the Snitch. Yeah he could remember cheering and the joy of Victoria and then? Someone was shouting his name and when Taekwoon looked their way-

The Bludger. Of course. He was so surprised that he couldn't dodge it. Taekwoon winced at the memory of the thing connecting with the side of his head. No wonder he had felt so much agony. He must have lost consciousness. Probably even fell off his broom. It would explain the hard surface he was resting upon on his first wakening.

“Ah you're awake!” A sudden voice pulled him from his memories and he looked towards the source. Nurse Kim was stepping up to his bed with a gentle smile resting upon her face. Thin lines ran all over it showcasing her older age and probably the stress coming with her job. Over the last two years he had gotten to know her quite well. On the surface she seemed to be a lovely person and Taekwoon had no doubt that she was just that. But you shouldn't let yourself be tricked by that. Ignore her advice and she'll raise hell upon you. She wasn't above chaining you to the bed and shoving potions down your throat. She also took none of your bullshit. Lying to her is as good as a death sentence so better not do it. Other than that she can be really nice and gentle.

“How are you feeling, Taekwoon? Any pain I should know about?”

Taekwoon checked his body but ultimately found nothing amiss and shook his head. It put a smile on her red coloured lips. “I'm glad to hear that. You took quite the nasty hit to your head. Your gear took most of the hit but you still suffered from a mild concussion.”

Taekwoon nodded again. “How long was I out?” His voice was a bit scratchy and he quickly accepted the offered glass of water in her hands.

“About a day but I'm sure it's not only because of your injury. The game must have been quite exhausting, am I right?” His mouth full of water Taekwoon just gave another nod and emptied the last bit of his cup.

“That might explain it. Well,” she said and took the now empty glass, “while you seem to be fine I'd like to keep you here for another day just in case there are any nasty side effects from your concussion. Head injuries are no joke, I tell you that. Breakfast should be over in a bit so I guess your friends will be here soon as well.”

Taekwoon gave her a questioning look to which Nurse Kim just laughed. “Oh you know the usual overprotective friends that wouldn't leave your side yesterday. I had to literally drag them out so they would go back for the night. Said they could come back after breakfast today therefore it shouldn't get to boring while you're here.”

That statement made Taekwoon smile. It was so damn good to know that people cared about him. His heart warmed at the thought of his friends complaining about leaving Taekwoon's side. He was seriously so glad for them and couldn't wait to see them.

“Before they're here though,” Nurse Kim interrupted his thoughts, “how about I get you something light to eat? You must be starving.” Of course she was right. Taekwoon was famished and could really do with some breakfast. His stomach agreed as well with a loud grumble.

“Got you,” she said with a wink and made finger guns at Taekwoon's stomach. The woman was a real delight to be around.

* * *

It was only a few moments after Taekwoon had finished his own breakfast when the door to the infirmary flew open and Hakyeon's head took a peak inside. His eyes widened comically and soon the door was thrown open completely.

“You're awake!” The volume made Taekwoon slightly flinch but he tried to hide it with a smile. His heart did a little flip as Hakyeon stormed up to his bed closely followed by Eunkwang as well as Kisu and Doojoon. “How are you feeling?”

“Kind of headachy but better,” Taekwoon answered as his friends gathered around his bed.

“That's good to hear,” Doojoon commented with a pat to Taekwoon's left leg. “You had us seriously worried, you know?”

“Yeah,” Eunkwang piqued up, “I'm sure I've lost ten years of my precious life watching you fall! Next time at least give us a warning.”

“Right, next time I'll just ask the Bludger to wait a moment before hitting me,” Taekwoon deadpanned to which Hakyeon just nodded in utter seriousness.

“You better. It was horrible seeing you lying on the ground like that...”

Taekwoon was just about to apologize when the door to the infirmary opened again revealing Jessica.

“Oh thank Merlin and Morgana, you're awake!” The Ravenclaw exclaimed and quickly closed the distance to Taekwoon's bed. “How are you feeling? Seriously, I'm so damn sorry about hitting you like that. I swear it wasn't on purpose! It's just that I already hit the Bludger when Madam Cho blew the whistle and god, I'm so sorry, Taekwoon.”

Taekwoon couldn't help but stare. The brunet had talked so damn fast and his head was still feeling kind of fuzzy that it was hard to keep up. He did understand though that Jessica was apologizing.

“Don't worry about it,” Taekwoon answered with a honest smile, “my dad always said I have a thick skull.” The gathered crowd broke out into giggles and it helped to lift the mood. A heavy weight must have dropped from Jessica's shoulder seeing how she suddenly slumped in her posture. That just proved again that it was an accident and he felt bad for being out of it for so long. He didn't want Jessica to feel like it was her fault when Taekwoon should have just kept his focus and not let himself be drawn into watching the Seeker match.

Taekwoon's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening for the third time. Seriously, Taekwoon didn't know he was that popular but of course his teammates had to drop by. Within seconds the hall was filled with seven players of different ages all swarming around Taekwoon's bed. Even Hyoyeon was there, her right arm still held in a sling.

“Taekwoon! How are you feeling? It's good to see you not looking like death warmed over anymore,” Eunhyuk stated, a huge grin on his face as he patted one of Taekwoon's legs.

“Head's still a bit fuzzy but I feel way better,” answered Taekwoon honestly.

Siwon joined the conversation. “That's good to hear, Kid. Especially after your awesome performance yesterday!”

“Yeah you really did a good job, Taekwoon,” Hyoyeon said as she fondly patted his shoulder. “I couldn't have wished for a better replacement.”

With a bashful smile Taekwoon rubbed the back of his head. Praise was always good but it still managed to procure a hint of red on Taekwoon's cheeks.

“Well?” Donghae questioned with a raised eyebrow, waiting for something. Taekwoon didn't know what that was so he returned the look with a raised eyebrow of his own. “Don't you want to know who won the inter-house cup?”

Of course! Taekwoon knew that they had won because of Sunny catching the Snitch but was it enough to push Hufflepuff into second place of the ranking? Taekwoon gave them an expectant look, barely being able to contain his nerves. They all looked at each other and the suspense was killing him. “Tell me, please!”

In the end it was Sunny who step out from behind Kangin. He seriously hadn't noticed her until then. Now though he couldn't get the image of her out of his head. There she stood holding a huge silvery-gold cup decorated with all kinds of flourish linings and Taekwoon couldn't believe his eyes. They had actually made it. Gryffindor had won the Cup!

“We won by a mere of 10 points, isn't that crazy?!” Eunhyuk exclaimed as the trophy was placed in Taekwoon's lap, the weight lighter than he had imagined. Not only had they won but Taekwoon had helped. Taekwoon remembered every goal he managed to get past Yoochun with a precise clarity. He had helped his team and my, that was a _damn good feeling._

A round of loud cheers filled the otherwise silent halls of healing as everyone celebrated. Taekwoon got swarmed by hugs but oddly enough he didn't mind it. Joy was making his whole body sing with an energy he hadn't felt since he was accepted to the team.

They celebrated well into the evening, recounting the matches highlights - Jessica also participating as representative of Ravenclaw – or just generally trading stories about funny practice shenanigans. It was only interrupted when Madame Kim threw the lot of them out to go get some dinner and let Taekwoon rest.

“You better be in the great hall for breakfast, or we'll have to squeeze the whole of Gryffindor in this room,” Victoria exclaimed which earned her a hard stare from Madame Kim.

“Try it and I'll give you a reason to stay here permanently.” of course Madame Kim didn't mean it and every knew that. They still heeded her advice and said their goodbyes before leaving the infirmary. Hakyeon was the only one left, pleading Madame Kim for five more minutes. The healer agreed but repeated her warning from before if he wouldn't be gone in five minutes, before leaving herself.

“I just wanted to say: _I told you so_!” Hakyeon finally said, radiating a whole new level of smugness. Of course Taekwoon knew exactly what this was about and he had to give it to Hakyeon. The Hufflepuff had been right, _again_. Taekwoon sighed.

“Yes, you were right.”

“What was that? I couldn't hear you,” Hakyeon goaded while comically cupping his ears. Just this once he'd indulge him. It was deserved after all.

“You were right and there was no reason for me to panic the way I did before the game. Happy?”

Hakyeon's smile was answer enough. “Very.”

And because Taekwoon didn't say it often enough he added, “Thank you Hakyeon.”

Hakyeon's smile softened as he gave Taekwoon's hand a tight squeeze. “That's what friends are for, right?”

“Yes, you're right.”

After that the rest of the year went by without another hitch and before he knew it, his second year at Hogwarts came to an end. Contrary to last year though he finally started to see the appeal of Hogwarts and was actually excited at the prospect of returning after the summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's done! Sorry for taking so long with this final chapter. I just couldn't decide on how to end this story and tried so many different things. I'm still not exactly happy with it and it might seem a bit rushed but it's the best I could come up with. I hope you still enjoyed it and thanks for all your lovely support. 
> 
> I hope to see you again in the next story of this installment. Until then: Stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful day <3


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